Piano Forte
by Messrs Padfoot and Prongs
Summary: Have you ever wandered why the two Marauders James and Sirius could be so surprisingly smart? They were mucisians of course! The story follows our heroes through their years at Hogwarts. Through love and music. Promise, it's better than it sounds! R&R :
1. Piano

**Prongs: I really have no idea for a story. ****But that's not something new. And you can't blame me for trying can you? So, I'm just going to write down the first thing that comes to my head. (The stupid thing is that the idea I just got includes Paddy. It was to write a conversation between us...hehe)**

(Padfoot/N: I see.. Yey! English! Hapii!)

James was furious with his mother. She had figured that she wanted James to learn how to play the piano. He was eight years old, and thought that he had more than enough things to do already. Like play Quidditch.

But his mother didn't think that could please him for the rest of his life, and to play an instrument is rather funny, she told. 'Like the flute isn't an instrument' he thought. (Padfoot/N: Well it is, but you are not taking lessons for it. I would not be so sure that I count as a real flute teacher)

The day had come, and James struggled to keep a hold on something. In the end he was dragged out and into their muggle car. "Mom, I really don't want to do this!" He complained. He was told to "Shut up" and live with it. (Padfoot/N: I think she's angry, don't you)

While James met the teacher, and looked around rather confused, another boy entered the house.

* * *

This new boy looked rather familiar with the place, and sat down on one of the chairs beside Mrs. Potter. "Hey you. Played for long?" She asked kindly. "A bit, Mrs..?" Mrs. Potter smiled as she always did to persons she just met. "Potter, Klare Potter."

The eyes of the boy widened in shock. "Excuse me, but are you from The Potter family?" The woman didn't seem to understand what he meant. "I'm Sirius Black, by the way." When he mentioned his last name the lady seemed to understand.

"Yes, I'm from that family, why?" She seemed rather out of it. Sirius couldn't blame her. A lot of those he had talked to changed when he told who he was. "But why are you talking to me, then?"

"I figured that we could talk together rather that ignore each other since we're going to sit her together every week while we're waiting." She could see that he didn't want to show his expression of joy. 'Must be his family fault' she thought. A warm silence spread around them.

* * *

James walked angry over the waiting room floor, and opened the door. "Mom!" His mother followed him to the car. "That was one of the most stupid things you've ever taken me to, and I have to repeat it every single week!" Klare didn't want to have a fight with her son so she didn't say anything.

"Mom! Talk to me!" She made a small laugh. "James, do you honestly think you're the only one who doesn't want to play the piano?" He crossed his arms. His mother was probably right as usual, but why did he have to do it?

* * *

Sirius hadn't done his piano homework once again, but he just played another piece of work. For Sirius the piano lessons was the best time of week, he could just sit there and play what he wanted, almost all the time, and didn't have to think about the rest of the family.

His fingers did the work them selves. He just played the tune in his head. "Sirius, that was the saddest version of that piece I've ever heard. It's like you know how the maker wanted it." He just sat there confused. What song had he played?

"Oh, your father's here." Mrs. Kinnman had looked out the window. "It's was nice to meet you, Mrs. See you in a week, hopefully." The boy began to walk out to his father.

"Come here boy, the Malfoys and Blacks are coming in an hour, and you got to get dressed and behave." The younger Black looked down at the street as they walked their way home. He hated all the visits from the rest of the family, nor did he like to visit his relatives.

* * *

"Get a grip, James, it's not the end of the world!"

"Yes it is! It's the end of My world. Why do I have to play the bloody piano anyways!?" James had had a perfect life before all the instruments things came into his life. "James," his father said while trying to keep his voice down, "you're grounded."

"Fine!" He ran to his room and dived onto his bed. After some minutes he sat up and walked over to his flute. He played all the songs he had learned, which was a lot of songs. He didn't mind playing the flute, when he began he was to young to struggle.

* * *

The family dinner went as normal. They talked about Hogwarts and all the funny things they did there, like hexing the Gryffindors. They also talked about the N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s. Bellatrix talked about her boyfriend Rodolphus an how "sweet" he was.

Although nobody else noticed, Sirius could tell that there were something going on between Lucius and Narcissa. They were only one year apart.

After the dinner they all, except Sirius that is, wanted him to play the piano. 'Why did always he have to do it? He wasn't the only one who could play' he thought grumpy, but did as he was told. He didn't want to be beaten up when the family had gone home.

* * *

The week came to an end, and a new one were about to begin. Unluckily for James that meant that a new piano lesson arrived soon. Too soon for his taste.

"Why do you want me to play the piano?" They sat and ate dinner, the next morning he had to go through "hell" again. "Because I think piano is a much more beautiful instrument than the flute." (Padfoot/N: Hey! Flute is my stronger side, besides, they're both amazing! You can't compare them.)

Even thought James loved food, he stood up and walked out of the room. He ran up to his bedroom and laid down on his bed. He almost began to cry when he understood what lovely food he had walked away from. (Padfoot/N: Mada mada dane!)

After a while ha began to daydream about Hogwarts. How he wanted to begin there. Get friends and have fun without his parents at his neck.

* * *

"Ah, Sirius, today you behaved very well. You can go to your, unfortunately, muggle teacher tomorrow." Sirius smiled. His parents had wanted him to learn from a witch, but nobody had time so they had to send him to this muggle.

Sirius almost jumped of joy the next day. He had to have a long lesson because he had been "sick" a lot of times.

**Prongs: English mood, where art thou? I don't wanna play hide and seek now. Just come! **

**Padfoot: Come out, come out wherever you are! Really James, you were teasing me for my lack of English mood only days ago!**

* * *

"G, James, G. No, that's an E!" James looked rather confused. "This is an E" pointed the teacher. "Isn't that C?"

"What's the matter with you James. Last time you did it perfect." James looked up at the woman. "Played to much flute, I think." Her eyes lightened up. "You also play the flute! That's wonderful!"

"No, I don't "also" play the flute. I "just" play the flute!" Everybody in their right mind would have seen that James wasn't happy. "I'm not going to be angry with you because it's just the second lessen, and you haven't learned to play just yet." They resumed to the instrument.

* * *

"Oh, hello Sirius. How's your week been?" Mrs. Potter could see a bright smile on the boys face. "One of the best, actually. I didn't get into one single fight." The two talked about everything and nothing when James came out.

"Who's this boy, and why are you talking like you know each other?" Mrs. Potter looked over to her son. "Well hello James. This is Sirius." Sirius stood up and took James hand. "Sirius Black, pleasure."

"Black!" He turned to his mother. "Mom, what are you doing!?"

"Just having some small talk, my dear boy. See you later Sirius." She winked to said boy, and then they walked out of the house.

A year had gone, and James still didn't like the fact that his mother talked to a Black. Nothing had changed, or James played the piano of free will and was good at it, and life was normal.

**Prongs: Like my life's ever been normal!**

**Padfoot: Good point! You're not normal at all…**

James hadn't played as beautiful this day. "James, what's wrong? You seem rather out of it." James stopped playing. "I think I worked too much on the flute yesterday. I forgot the piano, to be honest."

"I got an idea. Why don't you bring your flute next time? It might inspire both of us" she'd been quite frustrated over him and gave him a dejected smile. "It's Ok I guess" he didn't mind playing the flute for her. Show that he could at least do something.

"Why are you bringing your flute?" his mother asked suspicious, another week had past and it was time for a new piano lesson. James didn't respond, but went inside, while Mrs. Potter sat down and waited for Sirius.

At first he played a little on the piano, the piece he'd been working on quite a while but not really caught, not until now. "Ten minutes left; will you please play a little on the flute for me?" Mrs. Kinnman asked.

He played a couple of scales and found a piece. The swan lake.

He'd played it perfectly, and Mrs. Kinnman said "I think I heard the door" and suddenly opened it. "Sirius, would you come in for a second"

The young Black rose to his feet, a little surprised. "Yes, but my lesson has not…" she pushed him gently into the room. "Would you mind playing the swan lake for us?"

Sirius sat down, and started to play. Just as perfectly as James had played the very same tune on the flute. "Take it from the beginning again. James you should probably look at his music sheet, so you know where to play" Sirius stopped playing at once.

Two pair of eyes stared at her, and then at each other.

Sirius laid his hands down on the keys and started to play. James didn't hesitate and began to play himself. The wonderful art of work sounded perfect in Mrs. Kinnmans ears. But Sirius stopped. "We got to start over; we're a bit to fast."

James looked at Black, so he wasn't the only one who heard it. "But you played it perfectly!" Both boys gave her shocked looks. "No, we were a bit to fast…at four Mr. Black." They counted to four, but not so anyone else could hear, they had done it for themselves.

It was played perfectly this time. Both boys felt that the other one was skilled and therefore tried to surpass one another. Sirius played more gently, more exact and with more feeling, while James focused on his breath, to get total control over it.

The teacher was stunned, but the two boys exchanged fierily looks. This had wandered from music to a competition.

**Prongs: Guess what we're drinking guys!**

**Padfoot: Pine needles!! (I think it's supposed to be tea…)**

**Prongs: It tastes funny! Like a forest after a rainy day…**

**Padfoot: That's Norway for yeah!**

(Wow, few Paddy/Prongsie notes!! Well we're not even friends yet, so that might be the reason)

Read n' Review people!! (Please, Onegai!!)


	2. Flute

"Oh my! You play so wonderful! You just have to hold a concert!" the teacher smiled and noted something down on a piece of paper.

**Prongs: Not "papir" Paddy, that's Norwegian!**

**Padfoot: I can have spelling errors as well you know. Besides, I was thinking about the pronunciation of it.**

**Prongs: I see, whit "sepling" it's not that hard to understand…**

**Padfoot: "Har" who's the one with problems? Where's the D? Besides, the readers do not notice my mistakes because I always correct them! You were the one who needs a real spelling check on your computer. "Comfused" sounds like computer problems!**

Three weeks later the boys were standing on a stage performing. They played the Sadness and Sorrow song from the anime Naruto. Their teacher said that it had so many special minor keys that it suited perfectly.

Lily Evans had been forced to go on a concert by her grandmother. She now sat in the front row, looking up at the boys who were very skilled. (Padfoot/N: Look at that Prongsie, we're skilled!)

They were probably at her age, but she still played easy songs herself. The boys played a couple of songs more and left the stage after a short bow each. Lily felt that the air was very tense between them, but no one else seemed to notice.

* * *

"Finally finished. That concert was going on forever and ever." James said to himself. "You're the one speaking." Commented Sirius, but he had to agree, just not let James know it.

Today James was happy, he had a flute lesson. "Breathe James," the teacher said. He did exactly what he was told, and kept on playing. "The lesson's over now James. Have a good day."

James made his exit, but when he came out to the next room he saw the person he had never expected to be there. "Black! What are you doing here!?"

"Hey, you must be Sirius, come inn and we'll begin." She looked at the two boys. "Oh, you must know James, how lovely!" Both boys sent her angry looks. "We know each other" James said threatening. "Unfortunately" Sirius said looking over at Potter.

"I suggest we start the lesson, Sirius" Miss Parker said, trying to save the situation. "Have you ever played the flute before?" she asked kindly. "No, never" Sirius muttered.

"Well, then I'll show you some basic grips and blowing techniques" (Padfoot/N: That last word is "jutsu" in Japanese:)

* * *

Two weeks later something happened that the boys would never forget. Ms. Parker had asked James if he could stay twenty minutes later. She had to go to this important meeting and since he had played flute a while; she wanted him to teach Sirius some basic notes. "Well, Ok."

Sirius walked inn an expected to see Ms. Parker. Instead he found a grinning James. "I'm your teacher for twenty minutes today. Hey you! Come back!" Sirius had turned his heals and made a move to leave the room. "What?" He asked.

"I am your teacher! Now unpack your flute!" Sirius did as he was told. "Do I have any choice?" James looked down at the smaller boy, "No!"

Now they stood there, flute in hand. James walked over to Sirius and pointed. "That's an E." Sirius looked sceptical. "I know."

"And this is a D." Again Sirius made a face. "I know."

James placed his own fingers on his flute. "This is an F", Sirius muttered, "I know" and played an F.

"And this is a B." Sirius placed his fingers on the right places. "How did you know?"

"Potter, I've been playing the flute for almost a month now, you know. I'm not stupid!" They had come to the warming up when Ms. Parker arrived. "Have you boys had a good time?" she asked. There were no respond.

"James, d' you want to stay for the rest of the lesson?" she asked warmly. "I'm sorry Miss, but Mum's waiting outside" the teacher smiled happily. "Don't worry my dear; I've already talked to her."

He didn't look too happy. (Padfoot/N: He doesn't like me… Well, I do not like him either. I wrote with my flute, for the last sentence of the story. Cool, eh? It worked, but was very hard and if you're being lazy like I'm right now, you shouldn't use that technique)

"James, could you play a piece for us? So Sirius, dear here, can hear how it sounds?" James did as he was told. He had no choice either.

When James had finished Sirius took his own flute, and played the first part. Not as perfectly, as James had done, but rather good for someone who hadn't played very long. (Padfoot/N: Sorry, Prongsie. But I refuse to be called an amateur as you had been so kind o write...) "Wow, Sirius, you can remember what he played that easily?"

Sirius almost began to laugh at the look Potter had. James had told him the notes, that were the reason they weren't further. "Yes, actually I did." James was on his way to hit him when, "James, it's an emergency! Your father's home and I haven't cocked dinner yet!"

Sirius and Ms. Parker stood there looking rather confused (Prongs/N: See? I remembered to write a N and not M!) while Mrs. Potter and James sprinted to the car. "Well, where were we?"

* * *

"Dear, I'm so sorry!" They rushed into the house, where Mr. Potter sat beside the table and waited for food. "I thought we talked about this before! Supper's supposed to be on the table when I come home!" He was angry, as he always was when he was hungry.

"Dad?" James tried. When he got his fathers attention he continued, "Well, it's kind of my fault were late home today. You see I had to teach this boy something on the flute and Ms. Parker wanted me to be there when she came as well."

"Klare, is that right?" with an expression of relief she talked sweetly to her husband, " I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you. You know the work hasn't been easy the past week, and I'm so warned out." The man nodded. "I'll get us some pizza."

* * *

"Sirius, come here" Mr. Black told his older son. "Yes?" Sirius walked with insecure steps over to his father. "Are you making progress on the flute?" he asked, and Sirius looked up.

"I think so, yes" of course he had, but he was taught not to be bold. He thought with anger on James who would've been boasting for hours. "Play some for me" his father commanded, and Sirius had no choice but to oblige.

"You have a little more practise to do, but this is coming on nicely Sirius. You'll make a fine Slytherin" his father said. Sirius had always wondered why the nicest thing his father could say to one was "You'll make a fine Slytherin".

Sirius did honestly not like Slytherins. They lacked all the qualities he looked for in others. All the qualities he possessed himself. Loud he said "Thank you."

* * *

They had gotten the pizza, "What's this food? It tastes weird!" James spit out what he had in his mouth. "I don't like it!" James made a move to show his plate off the table and onto the floor, Mr. Potter took his arm.

"Don't do such thing again! Do you understand me!?" This was one of a few times Mr. Potter raised his voice, even thought he easily got angry. "Yes, dad." Piped James. Unwillingly he began to eat the rest of his piece.

"What a good boy!" He had just finished and wanted, honestly, to throw up! "I'm going to bed." He muttered and walked slowly out of the room while holding on his stomach.

(Padfoot/N: You're really childish, Prongsie. I know you're just nine, but I would never have done such a thing. I would've been literally dead)

* * *

Sirius got his cloak around his shoulders and opened the door. He was in need of some fresh air. "Where are you going Sirius?" his mother asked from upstairs. She always knew when he was up to something.

"Just out. I will not talk to someone, or walk too far into the muggle world. I'm only going to the nearest park for some fresh air." He waited for ten seconds but since there were no further discussion he closed the door and left.

He didn't lie. He was headed for the park, but he had no intentions of avoiding speaking to muggles. If you wanted to speak to someone, why not do it? Even so, he was a bit frightened. A big group of tourists were headed towards him; his reaction was to climb the nearest tree.

He could understand what some of them said. There were Americans and French people among them, and Sirius had learnt French very early. There were lots of Chinese tourists he guessed from what he heard and how they looked, and from the little he got out of them all, he had done wise in hiding.

They were all pointing, taking pictures and talking of everything they saw.

They passed the tree and headed for one of the London busses, probably on their way to the tower, Harrods or Big Ben.

He jumped down from the tree, and heard a sound. He recognised it as a flute sound. He moved closer.

* * *

(Prongs/N: Since it's not that interesting (Padfoot/N: That's Oimoshiroi in Japanese) what I did in the bathroom, we're just skipping that part.)

James slept soundly in his bed. (Prongs/N: But I do not snore... This is because I'm moving so much.) He had a nightmare. Not just a nightmare, a dream about that Black boy! "Noooo!"

"James, darling, what's the matter!?" His mother stormed into his room, closely followed by his father. "Does your stomach hurt? Is it because of the pizza!?" He looked tiredly up at his parents. "The pizza is in the bathroom," The adults looked comfused. (Padfoot/N: Comfused? Really Prongsie. You do like Computers!) "Sorry mom."

"Then, why did you scream?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just had a bad dream about that Black boy." He told carefree. "Go to sleep James, and don't talk like that about nice persons!" (Padfoot/N: Yeah! Listen to her!) 'I don't like him; he's not nice to me!' He thought as his mother headed for the bathroom and his father mumbled something about the TV.

* * *

Down by a little pond in the middle of the park stood a girl, playing. She played the swan lake, just as he and Potter had done on the concert. It suited the scene perfectly. There were swans on the lake. (Prongs/N: I wouldn't have played there then, Swans can kill humans!) (Padfoot/N: Who can't!? We kill each other, that's worse) Of that kind that are used to humans, has got too much bread and let you pet them. (Paddy/N: Like the ones in Kensington Park) (Prongs/N: Oh... that's good I think.)

The girl had long brown hair (Prongs/N: Be more precise Paddy. It's to the middle of her back!), she was quite short, half a head lower than Sirius, and she had long flute fingers.

He stood there listening for a little while before she stopped playing and noticed him. There were not many people around. A man on a bench a woman and her dog, but no one was watching them.

Sirius had a feeling that if there had been many people around she would not have played. She even stopped when she noticed that he was listening. "Hi" he took the first move. (Prongs/N: As you always do!) (Padfoot/N: What was that supposed to mean)

"I'm Sirius" he didn't want to use his sure name. "Halo, I'm Mary" she seemed shy, just as he had expected. He noticed that she had deep brown eyes and a cute, little nose (Paddy/N: As Prongsie was good enough to describing her for me.)

"You play very well" he smiled at her. "No I…" she began, with one of her hands in the long hair, twisting some of it around her finger. "Yes you are. I've just started playing myself, and it's not very easy to make a good sound."

**Padfoot: That's beyond true. I've played for six or seven years now, and it's not so very long ago that I realised (or dared to think) that it took a while before I played nicely. Even though one think one can play after a year or two I'd say that the point is not the grips and notes but the sound! I'm teaching some small children to play and they really struggle to blow in it, and not all of my friends even manage a sound… I just love the flute!)**

**Prongs: How bad am I at the flute then? I've had You as a teacher, if I can call you that...And I recently started again! After a years break I believe. ¤Sobs¤**

**Padfoot: Don't despair Prongsie. You're getting there. You just need to practise a lot! (And you're on the right track)**

"I have played for a while, but I lack the confident to play for someone" she muttered. (Prongs/N: See? I also do that! She's so alike me!) Then a park is not the right place to practise, Sirius thought grinningly. "Will you help me out a little?" he asked.

He had as usual brought his flute. It was good to practise outside, but he hadn't really thought he would play any today, "Ok."

They played for a long time, and laughed together each time something went totally wrong. (Prongsie/N: Like when I can't breathe?) "You're quite good Sirius. I think you've got an ear for music," she smiled friendly.

"Sirius!?" A voice was heard through the park. Sirius turned and saw his younger brother Regulus run towards him. "Sirius, dinner is ready" he shouted, but stopped. "Why are you talking to…" he was like nailed to the ground, unable to speak a word.

"Bye, Mary," Sirius smiled and took a grip around one of Regulus' stiff arms. "Good bye, Sirius. See you another time," she smiled and waved, but looked a bit sceptical about Regulus, who couldn't stop gaping.

**Padfoot: Yes, Prongsie just like a goldfish!**

**Prongs: Why are you talking about that bloody Goldfish thing again!? It doesn't belong here! And I thought we had stopped talking 'bout it! It's old!**

**Padfoot: Ok, ok. I've figured you're a chicken. ****Why do you love the chicken dance? It's unbelievable! You just lost your old nickname and passed it over to Coelio (Nemo)**

**Prongs: You are bloody stupid Padfood!!**** (Look, look red underlines of Padfood!! Not in Padfoot!! Yey!) I only did it to make you crazy!! See?**

**Padfoot: I'm not crazy! B****ut it was flippin' annoying. I'd say you did very well, if that was your target…**

**Prongs: See? I am the best!!**

**Padfoot: No, because you didn't manage to turn me crazy! I'm completely sane (if something like sanity does exist)**

**Prongs: Y****ou've never been sane!! I can't believe a word you're telling me because I know it's just rubbish!**

**Padfoot: Well, if I'm insane you are too, so really, this is becoming a merry go round**

**Prongs: I love cold!!**

**and snow and the winter!**

**Padfoot: Yeah****!! We totally agree on one point!!**

**Padfoot****: There's nothing as snow, rain and cold!!**

**Prongs: ****See!! I just love it!! But I prefer snow over rain thought**

**Padfoot: I like both**

**snow's the best!!**

**Padfoot: See? We're not insane. I knew it all along! Music, winter and tea for ever!!**

**Prongs: ****Oh... I haven't had my coup of tea today...moment!!**

**Padfoot:(cup)**

**Padfoot: Oh no!! Disaster!! Run for it Prongsie**

**Prongs: Sorry, but I'm not English**

**P****adfoot: What does that have to do with it?**

**Prongs: it has to ddo with my writing mistakes, and it's too cold to write here.**

**Padfoot: I'm feeling sorry for you, in a way, but I like it to be cold. Nothing better (Except a stormy night with rain and thunder, but hey wait, that's often a bit cold as well)**

**Well we better get on writing the next chapter. (This was taken from an MSN argument between us. Believe me, it's been worse. We're so ironic)**

**Seeking reviews! (Oh, my dear reviews where art though? Are you lost for ever in the cold mind of others?) Ok, ok. A bit dramatic there. Over and out. Padfoot.**


	3. Saxophone

**Prongs: Paddie! Why are you always the one ending our chapters!? It's like I doesn't have anything to say... but I do! **

**Padfoot: Prongsie! Why are you always the one starting our chapters!? It's like I doesn't have anything to say... but I do! Oh, come on Prongsie! I could say the same, you have the beginning, and then I think I should end it. Fair and squire. (And I'm posting, so it's only natural.)**

James felt better that morning. He felt sorry for the cleaning job he had given his mother, but then again, he wasn't the one wanting to eat that pizza. Muggle food had never gone really well along with his stomach; it wasn't like he had never tried anything before. (Padfoot/N: What is Pizza anyway?)

He heard a knock on his door. "James, you alright?" asked his mother while sticking her head just inside the doorframe.

"I'm alright mom, how did the cleaning go?" She opened the door open and came into the room. "Oh, it wasn't that hard, but could you try to vomit in the toilet next time?" James thought about the bathroom episode. (Prongs/N: I feel so sorry for his mother... I had to do the cleaning job myself last time I had a bad stomach... Urg!!)

(Padfoot/N: That's just grouse Prongsie! Where are the house elves!?)

Ok, he hadn't really thought about anything else then to get the bloody food out of himself. "Ok, I'll try." Mrs. Potter gave her son a hug and walked down to make some breakfast. James got dressed and found his mother who was very frustrated.

"What's the matter, mom?" She turned around to see her only son standing there looking weirdly at her. "There are no more eggs left, and I need those to make the food!" James stood there thinking a bit. "I can go by some, if you'd like that."

"Oh James, you're an Angel!" She gave him some money, muggle money that is. (Padfoot/N: I think they're called pounds, and there was something else as well… Pence?)

It wasn't that James didn't know the way to the mall, either that he didn't know how to buy stuff. He just liked the magical world better. These muggles was either nice or completely ignorant. He had noticed them walking like they had no time at all, when in real life they had plenty.

He found his way to the eggs and took some. "Isn't it James walking there alone?" The woman behind the desk asked. She had worked there as long as James could remember and she was a friend of his mother.

"Yes it is. And I'm in a hurry, mum needs these quite fast."

"That's alright." He paid and thanked her for making it quick, before making his way home.

* * *

The phone (Padfoot/N: You've got one of those? No wonder you're called blood traitors!) rang and James cried out: "I'll get it." But he said it too late and his father had already taken it. "Mhm, yeah I understand... Just a moment..." his father looked at him. "It's for you," and James answer the caller. "Hello? James here."

"Hey there, it's Ms. Parker and I wondered if you would be so kind and come over. I've got something important to ask you." He looked at his father. "Just go son, it's ok."

"Dad says I can go, so when do you want me there?" The other end went silent for a moment before, "do you have a free moment now?" He told her he had, and they ended the conversation.

* * *

Sirius had gotten a message about coming to his flute teacher today. He didn't know what it was for, but he had to go, his father had told him. Thought he didn't like calling his father a father, it was better with Mr. Black.

When he got there he noticed James, who looked like he was about to leave.

He couldn't have been more wrong. James had arrived the moment before him and hadn't had time to take off his jacket yet.

"Good, now we're all here." The boys had seated themselves as far from each other as possible in the rather small room.

"I wanted to talk to you about the lesson you had earlier. It seemed like you two both know a lot about music, and I've got an opinion that you two could be good friends if you got to know each other." The boys snorted.

'Like hell that's happening, I'm never going to befriend a Slytherin!' James slid further down on his seat.

'She got to be mental!' Sirius hoped that someone would help her, before her insanity affected others, something he feared could be any minute now. He didn't like James and James didn't like him, the whole thing was as simple as that.

She told them what the audience had thought and dismissed them. Both boys thought something among the lines: 'Finally!'

**Padfoot: You are referring to the concert they held in the last chapter? Or…**

**Prongs: Yes I am! You're not that dumb, are you Paddy?**

**Padfoot: To your further information. I'm having lots of concerts all the time! Right now, I'm having a Solo in the upcoming choir concert, Hallelujah, fourth verse. And in November I'm playing a long piece by Mozart, all alone, on a concert for more talented students. What if I'm not good enough!? I'm going mad! (Not really. There's nothing as a good Solo number, or what?) **

**Besides, half a year should've passed, so I just wanted to be sure that we we're referring to the same thing. **

**Prongs: Blah, blah... (Pointing at Paddy) He's stupid!**

**Padfoot: Thanks a lot Prongsie! It's not my fault that I'm observant!**

"Sirius, I have something important to discuss with you, would you come in here for a moment?" his father, Mr. Black, said. "Yes Sir" Sirius closed his book and left the library. "You wanted to speak to me?" Sirius entered the upstairs drawing room.

"I've heard that Potter plays both the Flute and Piano, is that true?" he asked, his voice was steady and normal. "Yes, Sir" Sirius nodded. "Is he better than you in any way?" he asked this time, to Sirius great surprise.

"I'm much further on the piano, but he's played flute for quite a while," Sirius hesitated. He didn't want to speak nicely about Potter. He didn't want to say that Potter was a good musician, but he had to.

He didn't know why, but it felt like he had to defend Potter from his father. Why? He had no clues. He just didn't want to lie.

"I see," Mr. Black said slowly. "Play a piece for me," he nodded towards the pianoforte. (Padfoot/N: Old fashioned word for Piano. The name came from the fact that you can play loudly and weakly. Strong and light, on the same instrument. Which is just what piano and forte means. They have shortened these days, though)

Sirius sat down. "What do you want to hear," he asked weakly. "Anything will do," was the answer. Sirius placed his fingers on the keys and played. He played a piece by Chopin.

* * *

"James!" He woke up with a start. "What!?"

"Do you remember that I was on a jazz concert not long ago?" Off course he remembered. It was hard to forget actually. Mrs. Potter had talked about it for weeks! "Yes, Why?"

"I want you to play the saxophone!" James just pulled himself under the sheets and begun to sleep again. He was too tired to think at the moment. (Prongs/N: As I am, so I'll get this mail from Paddy telling me to write English and not Norwegian.)

(Padfoot/N: Because this fic is in English, and you can't expect me to translate it!)

Half an hour later he screamed out loud: "What the hell did you want me to play!?" His mother stormed into the room. "Do not talk that kind of language! Do you hear me!?" James mumbled an apologized and asked his question all over again.

"The saxophone! That's what I want you to play!" And the conversation went on.

* * *

They sat and ate dinner. "Sirius! I've got an brilliant idea. Why don't you start playing the saxophone? I'm sure the Potters won't even think that thought." Sirius looked up at his father and asked: "Why's that?"

"They've never liked jazz music you see." Mr. Black told whit a smile. What was that? Did he actually try to be nice? That was a first for Sirius, who had never heard his father so happy in his life.

"Are you making me compete with James?" he asked suspiciously. "Yes, boy!" Mr. Black said "Every Black is better than a Potter." Now Mrs. Black wanted a word.

"Sirius, did you know that often in Jazz and Big Band music it is common for the flute player to change between the flute and saxophone?" (Paddy/N: Just like me:) She asked sweetly. Sirius shook his head.

"If you ever want to play in that genre it will be smart to know how to play."

Sirius nodded. "I see your point. I'll go."

* * *

"Knock, knock!" the man who opened the door was not tiny, to tell it that way. James was surprised that he could walk though doors, even.

"Welcome James, I'm Mr. Odd Greenland (Padfoot/N: Ha, ha, ha. Odd Greenland, isn't that a football team here in Norway?)

**Prongs: I'm not in an English mood today!**

**Padfoot: One funny thing is that I cannot what so ever write in Norwegian today. It's impossible. It's nearly always the other way round for me, and I'm supposed to read fifty pages in a New Norwegian (a Norwegian form of accent, with weird spelling) for Tuesday (Two days from now) I'm doomed…**

**Prongs: It's not that bad. You live in a town where we speak something between New Norewgian and the "normal" form. And we are reading and listening to a book called "Viktoria" by Knut Hamsund and the reader is from North Norway! I have to consentrate sometimes! **

**Padfoot: Then you should try "Fuglane" (The birds). We're expected to give a high quality analysis of the book. Including signs, symbols and psychoanalyses!**

**Luckily I don't have to have New Norwegian next year, like you do! I can get a letter from my teacher, and I don't have to anymore! My school is brilliant! (Not to mention English and international)**

"Hi" James muttered, and entered the room. The man gave him the saxophone. "This is yours" he said, and picked up another box. "I'm going to show you how to put it together" he opened the box.

"This is the reed" he told James, picked up a tiny wooden piece and showed how to put it on. (Padfoot/N: I don't bother to go into details. It's pretty obvious, really, if you've ever seen a saxophone. Look it up on wikipedia) When both Saxes were ready, James stared at them. First his, then the teacher's. "Why are yours bigger than mine?" He asked suspiciously.

The teacher, Mr. Greenland, laughed. "I've got a tenor sax, and you have an alto," James nodded, and understood. "There are many sizes of the saxophone, and you have probably the most common one" (Paddy/N: I'm not sure, of course, but I believe it is. Notice the word "probably.")

* * *

Sirius sat in the hall waiting for his lesson to come. He was really anxious, starting on a new instrument, nearly like beginning with blank sheets, except that he already knew how to read music notes.

The door slid open. "You must be Sirius Black, right?" Smiled a chubby man. "I'm Odd Greenland, your saxophone teacher." This greeting were warm and polite, the next one was not.

"Black! What are you doing here!?" The voice of James Potter echoed in the hall. "I could ask the same you know!" Both boys stared hatefully at each other. (Prongs/N: He hate me!)

"There, there. Mr. Black we need to start the lesson." Odd (Paddy/N: It's actually a common Norwegian name, brilliant or what?) (Prongs/N: It was My idea to have this name in the story, thought, I don't have Odd as a teacher, by our friend do!) , smiled towards Sirius, and turned then to James. "See you next week, Mr. Potter."

James walked heavily outside. 'How could it be that Black had started on the saxophone at the exact same day as himself!?' James thought desperately, as he walked home. He had refused to let his mother drive. He didn't want her to speak about how marvellous the lesson had been!

* * *

They both practised, and practised. In order to surpass each other, but what ever they did they were always on the exact same level…

**Over and out**

**Messrs. Padfoot and Prongs**

**Mr. Padfoot also would like to inform that reviews are more than welcome!**

**Sources:**

**All musical information is coming from my brain, and what I've learnt from my teachers. Some is also from Wikipedia I suppose, when it comes to English musical expressions.**

**(I'm doing my homework, so i felt like list my sources here as well)  
**


	4. Violin

**Hi, we're back again with a new chapter for you:) **

**please read and most important: Review!!**

James was watching TV! (Padfoot/N: You have a muggle family, don't you? Watching the telly! I didn't even know what it was when I was eleven!) But not just TV, an orchestra with a violinist. He had been sitting there for about three hours and at the moment he was glued to it. "Mom!"

Mrs. Potter had been cocking dinner when her son screamed out like an idiot. "What now James," she was also very tired because they had been in this party yesterday. They had arrived at home three in the morning.

"What is that instrument called?" he was pointing at one of the violins. "Oh, that. That's a violin my dear, why?" James looked with puppy eyes at his mother, "Can I please start playing such instrument?" He pleaded.

That was the first time ever James had asked her to play something, all the other times she had to drag him along. "Sure, we'll just ask your dad first."

His father was home and they were eating dinner. "Dear, James came with this proposal to play the violin. Is it all right with you if he'll start?" The very quiet Mr. Potter wasn't that silent anymore. "NO! It's a filthy instrument, and it makes a weird sound. Never ever is that thing coming into my beautiful house!" (Prongs/N: See, he loves the house over me!)

(Padfoot/N: I can see his point, though)

"But dear, that's the first thing James have ever wanted to start playing by himself, let the boy have some fun, will you?"

The discussion went on and James sneaked out of the kitchens. Which he had done ever so often before. As usual his parents didn't notice anything.

* * *

"Sirius" Regulus came into his room, pale as usual. He was just a year younger, but seemed much smaller. "Yes?" Sirius looked up from his music sheets and stopped playing the flute. "Mother and father want a word," he said. 

Together both boys walked down the hall.

"You asked for me" Sirius said as he entered the drawing room. "Yes, come here my dears," Mrs. Black said in a cold but sugar sweet tone. The brothers went over by her side, and sat down in the sofa.

"Your father and I have decided for Regulus to start playing the Violin as his first instrument, and seeing as you are very skilled with music already…" she began, focusing on Sirius.

She always focused on him, praising him; Regulus was never in her thoughts. "… is it in my interest of having you on the violin as well, seeing as you can help Regulus more, if you know how to play yourself."

Sirius looked over at Regulus. He didn't want to surpass him again. "But it's better for Regulus to have his own individual instrument. Something that I don't play already," Sirius tried.

"But Sirius, don't you like the violin?" she asked. "Oh, yes. I very much do, but…" she didn't let him finish. "Then it's settled, then."

* * *

"Finally I found you!" The smiling woman came into the room. "Your dad has finally given up and you'll begin playing tomorrow!" James could do nothing, he just grinned. He was so happy that he played every piece he had learned on the flute, piano and saxophone. 

The next morning he was dragged out of bed and into the shower. "James Dear, wake up! Today's the day." He just mumbled inscrutable, he had played for most of the night and really needed some sleep.

When he arrived at Mr. Catherwoods place he just thought that he was dreaming.

* * *

For some unfathomable reason his father wanted to take him and his brother there. "This time I'm sure that the Potter's never thought about the instrument. You're going to play the violin!" Mr. Black was too cheerful for Sirius' taste. 

"I thought Regulus was supposed to…" he started, but knew that nothing would come from telling his father the feelings he had.

The man was already holding up a violin when Sirius arrived. "Aw'right! You're early young man, I like it!" Sirius couldn't help but smile. "And this must be your brother" he and Regulus shook hands.

The lesson went on as normal and Mr. Catherwood was an extremely happy teacher when he noticed that Sirius was a talented musician.

"Are you playing another instrument, my boy?" he asked curiously. "Piano, Flute and Saxophone. Do you play anything else Mr. Catherwood?" he asked. "Aye, young master. I also play the Cello, just like my sibling, the instruments are quite related."

"This is how you hold it," he showed. "It's important to do it right so you don't ruin your neck. This is how you hold the bow, notice the fingers and remember where they are placed. This is where your left hand is to be. The one changing the notes. This is G," he pointed at the thickest string. "The next one is D, then A, and the high pitched one here is E. Yoy add one and one finger for a new note before you change to the next string."

Sirius nodded, he understood. "We'll start off with the D scale, which is the most normal for beginners. Don't worry about the sound yet, just focus on where you place you fingers. There, good." The lesson went on and Sirius understood now the basics of the violin. He could find the notes for himself by now, and he would probably be able to play most music sheets, but the sound would be a problem. The light sound, that's extremely hard to get nice.

(Padfoot/N: This is about everything I was told when I got my violin. It was a twenty minutes "here's your violin" course, and I haven't seen them since. Well, I'm, trying to get a teacher, but I'll have to wait a little. I've play for three weeks perhaps, and I figured that I could write this little part now as I understand more about the instrument.)

When he told goodbye to the young Black his other new student arrived. James Potter. "Hello Sirius!" Mrs. Potter waved, just at the same time the boys screamed: "What are you doing here!" In each others mouth.

Mr. Catherwood stood stunned. "You know who these people are?" He asked Sirius. The boy just nodded, and pointed at James who pointed back. "Don't copy me!" once again they spoke each others words.

"Come on Mr. I would like to start my lesson." James, for the fist time in his life, literally pushed his teacher into the "class" room.

"Are we going to start or not?"

* * *

"Sirius! What happened!?" Regulus, who had got the first lesson, and left along with his father before the Potters arrived, asked his older brother. Sirius just began to climb the stairs to his room while mumbling one name: "Potter." 

Regulus followed, and opened the door that had been harshly closed only seconds before. "Is he copying you or anything?" he asked Sirius. "I don't know. Could this all be a coincident?" he asked, staring at his new Violin.

He couldn't believe that his parents actually bought all the instruments for him, when he didn't even know if he'd keep playing. 'Everything to beat the Potters' he thought grimly. "Do you want to practise with me?" Regulus asked, looking out at the darkening sky.

"Why not?" grinned Sirius suddenly, and took out his violin.

* * *

James' father had actually been so frustrated with his son that he had moved into a motel for several days. James had ignored all of his fathers screams about "stop playing the bloody violin", and now he didn't need to think about his father anymore. 

Mr. Potter had been told by his wife that he had no right to escape from home just so he wouldn't be bothered by the violin sound. So he was home right now at least.

But Mr. Potter was rather shocked when he came home. His son was actually already quite good at the violin. (Prongs/N: I'd been playing 24 hours a day, almost.)

* * *

Mr. Catherwood hadn't had a good week, all of his students were on the same level they had been on for weeks, and now he had a tiny little hope that the Blacks and Potter had gotten better.

* * *

Sirius was very pleased about the lesson. Regulus had walked home already as he had some stuff to do. Just when he got outside he met (Prongs/N: Dun dun duuun!) The Potters! "Black, why do you always play the same instrument as me, and even on the same day almost at the same time!?" 

But Sirius had no time to answer. Mr. Catherwood had just come outside to let James inside, and because he didn't want the boys to fight. Thought he wasn't fast enough to open his mouth, because just then two owls came into view.

Huge grins spread on the boys' faces, and they welcomed their owl, took the letter and let them go.

Mr. Catherwood on the other hand just stood there. He had never seen an owl in his whole life, and now he saw two with letters to his students who was calm and acted like it was just normal. (Padfoot/N: Sigh! Muggles! It Is normal!)

Mrs. Potter was the one to see him standing there, lost, first. "Come on inside, Mr. I'll help you get calm." Sirius and James still hadn't noticed anything. They just stood there, holding their letters and had a good time.

"I'm so happy I got the letter!" They said at the same time. "Don't even bother!"

"Bother what!?" They stopped, as they understood that they would've never gotten any way with this "talk". If they had they would've felt like they talked to themselves and heard another voice at the same time. Pity.

* * *

The Black family were going to the diagonally for the purpose of buying school books for the first time. Usually, when they went here, they would buy potion ingredients, or visit their distant relative at Borgin and Burke in Knockturn Alley. 

Today was different. They actually went out to buy Sirius something.

* * *

"Goodbye James! See you around Christmas!" He boarded the train and found a compartment, an empty one. Ha waved his parents a last goodbye and when they were out of sight he lay down on his seat to get some sleep. 

The compartment door opened and Sirius stood there. "Sorry," he muttered after James had shouted, "Get out!" It opened again and a boy around his own height was standing there, wondering if he could reserve one of the seats. (Prongs/N: you see, I was rather short for my age back then.)

James lay down once again. "Anything from the trolley?" the voice of an old woman disturbed him. "Three chocolate frogs and a pumpkin juice, please." He paid for the food. He knew he would get hungry later on, now he just wanted to get to sleep.

But he had no such luck today. "Hi, I'm Lily Evans." This time a girl with the most sparkling green eyes were fixed on him. "Hello. You got any problems?" he asked while he sat up. She smiled and pointed at her bag. "I haven't found anywhere to sit yet. Is it rude of me to ask for your permission to sit here together with you?"

"No, not at all" Her eyes seemed to sparkle even more as she entered the compartment. She was about to take a seat when, "Not there! Peter's got that seat." At the very same moment Peter slid in. "Talking 'bout me?" Lily moved so Peter could get his seat.

"Not really, I just told her that you already had asked for that spot." Lily took one of the empty seats beside him and began to read. Every time she looked at Peter she had a disgusted look on her face. James plans for sleeping were ruined.

**Prongs: I don't even bother to write that part where they're arriving Hogwarts. Everyone know what's happening there anyways.**

**Padfoot: But would you please get an online dictionary and spelling check on your computer. You've got mistakes as everyone else you know, and I end up correcting them. I don't have to look at mine because the computer corrects them!!**

**But it's fine that you skip this part. They all get the picture. **

The Gryffingdor Tower. James had never seen such place before. The big circle of a room with all those cosy little chairs and the big fireplace. All the red and gold, and more or less all the people. This James really could get used to. Ha had to write a letter to his parents immediately.

When he had done that, he found out that his bed where beside the bloody Black's bed. How the hell did that boy even get sorted into Gryffindor? Wasn't he a Slytherin?

At this point James was too tired (Prongs/N: remember, I haven't gotten any sleep, almost.) That when he had slipped the covers over him, he fell asleep like a stone. A warm one that is. (Padfoot/N: A snoring one, too. By the way, how can anyone lay as still as you do? It's scary!)

* * *

Sirius had been as shocked as everyone else in the room. Silence had filled the place. A deafening silence. Sirius was happy though. 

Being Gryffindor was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He really wanted this to work!

He found his dorm. Potter had already lain down, looking exhausted (Prongs/N: Like me after the trip to Poland and Germany with my class). The other boys presented themselves. "I'm Remus Lupin," a pale and shabby boy said. "Sirius Black, nice to meet you," Sirius grinned and they shook hands.

"I'm Peter Pettigrew," a small boy said. The other boys were really nice, if it just hadn't been for Potter, Sirius thought.

He lay down on his bed as well but he had such a high spirit that it was hard to let the dreams come. Eventually he fell asleep with a happy feeling. He could even live with having to sleep on the same dorm as Potter.

¤

The next morning Sirius woke up early, and went down to breakfast, but was stopped in the door by a tall boy with blond hair. "Good morning, Sirius," Lucius Malfoy, a sixth year, said in a challenging voice.

"It was a good morning until you showed up," Sirius responded and tried to walk away but was stopped by his cousin again. "You should be more nicely to your family, Sirius. But, we might not be very much longer, seeing as you're a Gryffindor."

"I can't imagine how disappointed your parents are. You're in deep water, Sirius," Lucius whispered in his ear, and found his way to the Slytherin table. Sirius, on the other hand, sat down next to a cute read haired Gryffindor girl.

They didn't talk, and suited Sirius perfectly.

"Sirius!" a girl shouted and ran over to him. His seventeen year old cousin, Andromeda Black. Se was a Ravenclaw, and his favourite relative. "I'm so happy for you, becoming a Gryffindor."

She smiled towards him. "Thanks, Andy," Sirius said grinningly.

"I was afraid that you might end up in Slytherin. Not because you're like them, but the pressure could have made you decide, or something."

She was probably the one person in his family that was happy for him. She and probably uncle Alphard, but he didn't count much, seeing as he was a dragonologist on the other side of the planet.

She kissed him on the cheek, "See you later Sirius, good luck." She waved and left for her friends at the Ravenclaw table.

* * *

Their first lesson was with McGonagall, transfiguration. 

She began to talk, and told them what they were going to learn this year. Sirius took notes of everything she said; he didn't want to forget anything. Suddenly they heard a knock on the door and it opened slowly. "Is this the transfiguration class room?"

"Yes my dear, and you are?" He smiled up at his teacher. "Potter, James Potter." She looked over at the students, "You can have a seat beside Mr. Black. It's the boy over there." James did not look happy. (Padfoot/N: Like I'm more happy than you!) "I know who that is, it's not like I can forget him that easily." (Padfoot/N: same to you)

He took his seat and glared at Sirius.

"Well, does anyone remember what I told you?" Sirius grinned. "You told us about what was going to happen this year, and about Owls and Newts." To his surprise the teacher looked weirdly over at him. "That's correct my boys." Sirius missed to hear the "boys" and thought she was happy with just him.

McGonagall on the other hand was confused. How did Mr. Potter know what she had told the class about when he wasn't even there?

"Have your parents taught you anything?" the professor asked. 'Of course they had!' Sirius thought. Sirius took this as his chance to answer, "The piano, flute, saxophone and violin."

James had said the exact same thing, but he'd started with the flute. "What was the first instrument again?" the professor asked.

One boy said "flute," the other "piano."

"Oh my, that's quite a lot isn't it?" she smiled towards them. "No, I want to start playing the cello, just like my violin teacher, but my mother/father (one boy said this, another that) says I'll have to wait until Christmas, since I just started the violin."

Both boys said in unison. The class was stunned by this performance. None of them caught what the two of them was actually saying, but the pure and half bloods in the class were the most shocked.

A Black and a Potter, natural enemies, were speaking in unison without knowing it.

* * *

When the day was over Sirius sat down with a book. It was not much homework to do and he knew few people yet. His eyes moved across the lines, but he didn't read them. His thoughts were at the beautiful Lily Evans with her sparkling eyes and fiery hair. 

Lily and James were running down the grass towards the lake. Sirius saw them. James had become friends with Lily so easily. Sirius envied him. Here he was sitting under a tree reading, while Potter was running around with Lily.

They were headed for his spot. James fell over in the grass not far away from where he sat. Lily had her back towards him. Sirius rose to his feet, sneaked up behind her and placed his hands in front of her eyes.

"Guess who," he said, and she laughed. "Sirius?" she asked, and his hands were gone. "Who else?" Sirius smiled. In the mean time James had gotten to his feet. "Hey, get away from her!" he yelled.

"James, relax…" Lily tried, but was totally ignored. Both Sirius and James had now started to fight verbally. "Why? She isn't yours Potter," Sirius countered, and both boys glared at each other.

"I don't want her to become familiar with dark magic!" James screamed towards Sirius. Lily was terrified. "Please, both of you," she murmured, but was not heard.

"Dark magic? Do you really think that I know dark spells?" Sirius asked nearly laughing. "You're a Black!" James said, insecure over the laugher from the other boy. "What's that got to do with it? I'm a Gryffindor as well and you're a Potter! A blood traitor of the worst sort!"

Sirius and James pointed their wands on each other now.

"Like it's my fault that I'm born into my family, but it's better than your evil one!" James tried to think of a spell. They hadn't actually learnt anything yet.

"You finally understand me then!" Sirius shouted back at him, while he as desperately tried to come up with a useful spell.

Both boys stopped, looking at each other. "We don't know any spells yet," they said in unison and laughed. "But you're still a Black!" James was serious again. "And you're still a Potter! Is there any difference?" Sirius asked still not finished laughing.

"I hate Blacks! They're evil and don't respect others and their thoughts!" Sirius thought about this for a second.

"You're right. They're cruel and with narrow aspects of understanding. I understand what you mean, and I've got to tell you that I'm not one of them. Happy, Potter?" (Padfoot/N: That looks exactly like "Harry Potter", Harry's not that happy though. It's brilliant! Maybe it was her inspiration for a name. Happy, Potter, how charming!)

"But you're one of them! I am from the nice family!"

"Wither or not I am one of them, is completely upon me to decide!"

"No, you can't decide that. You're born into that family!"

"And you are supposed to be a Potter! You're even worse than my own family, caught up in old fashioned thoughts!"

"How do you know that I'm even thinking? What if I don't?"

"Good point! I assumed you were thinking, but… maybe you're not?"

A while later James still hadn't come up whit an answer. It was really a long time since he had to think this hard, actually a long time since he even had to think about anything.

"I'm thinking! Didn't you see me just now?"

"You seem to be out of training, it took awfully long time!"

"It's not my fault that I don't need to think so much as you do, I've got freedom!"

"In my world thinking is the way to freedom, James Potter."

"Oh, how come? I don't need to think so much, mom's doing it for me."

"My mother won't do anything for me! Besides, thinking was my way of escaping before I attended Hogwarts. How's your mother by the way?"

"My mother is brilliant, didn't you know? And what was your problem with your family?"

"I know she's brilliant, Potter. I've actually met her before. You clearly didn't inherit her brain did you? And my family hates me if you haven't noticed. They hate me for being me, and now also for being a Gryffindor."

James looked shocked. "They hate you? I haven't noticed, to busy hanging out with Lily dear here." He pointed towards Lily.

She looked kind of sick.

"You haven't noticed? You arrogant, egoistic fool!"

"I'm not eg….!"

"Stop it! Both of you! Can't you just shut up?" Sirius walked over to where James stood and clapped him on the shoulder. "She's weird isn't she?"

"I'm not weird! You're the one who's…"

"Come on Potter, I've got something to show you."

Lily watched as Sirius and James walked happily away from her. They were like best friends chatting about quidditch.

"Boys…" she muttered and shook her head.

* * *

"How did you get a broom in here?" James asked. "I'm Sirius Black, and I won't leave my broom. I can't use it though," he said, and stroke it dearly. "So what's your favourite quidditch team?" Sirius asked. 

"I haven't really made up my mind yet" he said thoughtful. (Padfoot/N: if that's possible with James Potter:)

"I like the Prides and the Falcons," James grinned.

"I love the Morose Magpies," Sirius said happily.

"Yeah, they're brilliant as well."

* * *

"How many of you have tried a broom before?" the teacher asked. "Are you kidding me?" The class heard two voices shout at once. "No Mr. Black and Mr. Potter. Not all of you are born into magical families you know." The boys shared a look and turned. "Sorry Lily!" 

"And Ms. Evans is not the only muggle born in this class!" The boys shot her a look. "She's not?"

"Black, Potter, thank you for being so observant. Can I continue my lesson now?" the teacher asked.

"Sure thing Ms," James shouted. "You may," Sirius said happily, and both boys grinned.

The entire class clapped their hands. "Bravo," Remus said. "You didn't speak in unison."

"We never speak in unison!" both boys said confused, but very precise.

* * *

Half a year went by and the boys grew into close friends. 

**As they say on animes. Not for sale, rent or ebay!**

**So long, (and thanks for all the fish, eh)**

**Messrs Padfoot and Prongs (ie)**

**Ps. ReviewS**** are always welcome!!**


	5. Cello

"James, I got a favour to ask you." James felt like he was hit by an aero plane. (Padfoot/N: Hit by a what? Write words we can all understand!)

Lily Evans was actually talking to him! "Black, could you please help your friend get a grip?" Lily had turned to Sirius since James just sat there like a goldfish.

**Prongs: NO! Were not going to talk about me being a goldfish, it's just how I looked at that particularly moment! **

**Padfoot: And any other moments in your life. **

"Nah, you see. When he's like that we can't do anything but wait till he returns to his normal self." Sirius turned and began to read the page ha had been reading. Lily looked at the book and gasped, "You're actually doing homework Black!?" He just grinned, "No, I just felt like reading this book," she looked startled for a second.

"Kidding. Yeah, I'm doing my homework, it's not like it's something new, really."

Now Sirius could see why James liked Lily, she was so alike him! She also was standing like a goldfish. Remus ran down the stairs. He was late for the meeting with Madame Pomfrey, and that wasn't good. He hadn't come any longer than the common room when he first stopped, not because he was tired or anything, no, he had just seen Lily and James looking like to idiots and just had to stop.

You see, it's really hard to run while laughing. And Remus was laughing hard.

"What's your hurry Remus?" Now the boy found out that one of his other friends were in the room as well. "I'm feeling ill, and Madame Pomfrey is expecting me." He replied quietly and began to move again. "Sorry Sirius, but I have to go even thought I'd wanted to see the show."

With that Remus was gone. James was getting back to reality. "Where's..." He went quiet. Lily was standing there and looking, yeah. James had no words. "Is she a goldfish or something?" Sirius fell down to the floor and was rolling around, laughing. "What did I miss?" Still no answer.

"Sirius Black, I'll send a letter to your mother if you don't tell me what happened!" "Hey Lily, enjoying the air?" Lily found out that her mouth had been open, and closed it. "Not really," she turned to James, "why're you so angry?" James flashed her one of his looks and told her it was nothing. 'I'll get you later Sirius, just wait and see...'

Finally Sirius got up from the floor and smiled. "You know you look exactly the same sometimes?"

"No Black, Potter and I have got nothing in common; I thought at least you had realized that!" The young Black almost fell to the floor again. "You two looked like a pair of goldfish just minutes ago, don't tell me it's not funny!" "Leave it. I'm here to talk to Potter anyway, not you."

**Prongs: See, she's so into me!**

**Padfoot: Just leave it Prongsie, she's not here to tell you that she actually just realised that you're a nice person! **

Lily had pushed James outside the tower to talk to him. She did not know how to say it. After a while James got a bit tired of waiting, "What is it Evans?" He looked up in her face. "It's brilliant weather outside! Don't you just love the fog?"

Lily said in a tone that clearly said that; one, she didn't like the fog very much. Two, this wasn't the reason she had dragged James outside here to talk to him. "James, I really don't know what to do, or who to talk to," Lily started, and got James' full attention. Lily Evans was talking to him, James Potter. "What's the matter?" he asked and she told him. She told James something personal.

(Padfoot/N: Notice the gigantic difference when Prongsie and I are writing. I wrote the last part here, and it's completely different. Scary!)

"I can't tell any of my friends, they are also muggle born and won't understand. Remus is away again, and Sirius doesn't even know what a muggle is," she stopped, and breathed heavily. "James, my sister is seeing this muggle. He's the worst person I've ever met, and he hates abnormality!"

What James didn't notice was her wand. Her hand was locked against it so hard that it was becoming ivory white. Her eyes never left his once. "She's calling me a 'freak' all the time, and I think she hates me," Lily muttered.

"Don't worry, Lily. I'm sure she'll remember that you're her sister and that she loves you," James said with feeling. "It might even be jealousy. These things takes time. I'm sure the muggle will acknowledge you for the wonderful person you truly are."

Lily stared. "Thank you James, I didn't know you could even be this serious."

**Padfoot: No, he's James. I'm Sirius, remember? **

**Prongs: Haha! Bird! Bird! It wants to shoot me! Help! (I'm dead…Paddy shot me!) **

**Padfoot: Hey, it's not my fault that the "bird" or "gun" (?) makes a bird sound, and who doesn't want to shoot you? **

**Prongs: I wanted to write "prince" here! Not Prongs… (Do not answer this!) **

She smiled, nearly feeling a bit bad for what she just had done, but seeing as what he'd done was much worse, she felt better at ease.

She turned and walked away from him.

* * *

"What was that all bout?" Sirius asked as James came in. "Nothing, just a little chat," he said grinning wildly. "I know more about muggles than I thought," a grin in his face. "She spoke to me! I thought she hated me, but she doesn't." 

(Padfoot/N: Sure she doesn't?)

"Good for you," Sirius muttered not paying attention. "So, can we go down to the kitchen, I want a cup of tea." James stopped dreaming about Lily. "Really? Tea?" the boys laughed. "Yes, I'm serious. I want my cup of tea. Besides, it'd do with a plate of chocolate," Sirius grinned.

"Yeah, I'm hungry! Let's go find the kitchen!" James shouted happily. "Just a moment!" he ran up the stairs, and got something out of his trunk. "A cloak?" Sirius asked raising an eye brow.

"Not a cloak, Sirius. The Cloak!" James took it on, and disappeared. "Wow! An invisibility cloak! You're all see-through! Amazing!" Sirius got under as well. "How come you didn't tell me 'bout it?" Sirius asked.

"Because I just got it. Present from dad, because I started at Hogwarts. Some sort of _very _late birthday present or something. He just found it, and sent it," James muttered as they walked out the portrait hole.

They went down the hall, around corner after corner, down stairs and down more halls. "Where do you recon we look first?" Sirius asked. "I bet it's behind a picture," he added. James laughed. "Probably a food picture, then."

They are the marauders, right? They've got this in their blood.

An hour went past. Then thirty more minutes. They were far away from the Gryffindor common room, and it was becoming late. Long after they would be in normal trouble for not sleeping. It was seriously unbelievable cold out here tonight.

Sirius was so cold. He didn't know if his feet were there or not. He had started to think that this might've been a bad idea, when the other boy stopped.

"A fruits picture," James called happily. "Let's try it!"

Sirius didn't know where his friend got all this spirit. "Yeah. I bet you just have to tickle the pear and it'll open to a kitchen with house elves and food mountains," he said sarcastically.

"Hey, nice idea," James called and started to do what Sirius had suggested.

"I was joking…" he began, but it actually worked. "No way!" Sirius muttered. "You're brilliant Sirius!" James called, and even the young Black got his spirit back.

They sat down, and had their tea and biscuits. "These cookies are brilliant," James grinned and emptied his second cup of hot chocolate. He'd even tasted tea and found it tasteful.

"This was really worth the time put into it," James laughed.

"Indeed," Sirius said sleepy. "I'm having a headache, can we go back?" he asked after a while. "Aw, you're no fun!" James complained, but receiving one look he shut up.

"Sure, Sirius. It's getting late anyway."

It was unbelievable cold out. It was middle of December, but this was something unusual! Like an inner and outer cold. Filling the whole of you up. Sirius was becoming more and more sleepy for each step, and even James had lost some of his good mood.

(Prongs/N: Because you dragged me away from all that lovely food!!)

Suddenly they walked right into no other than Filch, the caretaker. They stood completely still, until he had passed them. To their despair James sneezed.

It sounded so much louder than it was in reality, but it echoed in the hall.

"Who's there?" Filch asked, and the boys backed. "I believe some students should've been to bed by now." He walked towards them, and the boys turned and ran. They didn't stop until they reached the tower.

Well inside the dark common room they breathed out in relief. "That was too close," they said in unison. James had to nearly drag Sirius up the stairs. They fell to bed at once they got up, hardly bothering to remove their shoes, exhausted from the previous events.

* * *

The next day Sirius refused to get up. Really refused. No way was he placing his feet on the cold floor. James had kept sneezing and coughing. His voice was so weak that Sirius couldn't hear him. 

"I'll tell Peter to fetch the nurse," he said and the rat ran his way down.

Twenty minutes later stood a grim nurse in front of the sick boys. Five minutes later she could tell them that this was magical, and nothing she could do. The spell had to wear off. Only time would help!

Sirius sighed, and turned in his bed. "Mr Potter, you can take part in the lessons. Mr Black you'll come with me to the hospital wing." Sirius protested. "No way, I'm not going to stay there. Why can't I just be where I am?" he asked stubbornly.

"Because your reaction to the spell was to get a high fever and you need to be under my watch."

Sirius was helplessly dragged out of the dorm, while sending James a begging look. "Help!" he muttered silently.

* * *

James had to go down to his lesson. He felt awful, and didn't even eat more than one slice of bread. (Padfoot/N: Dun, dun, duun) He was seriously not well and there were no Remus and no Sirius. He took his school books and headed for the first lesson. Potion. 

He met Peter on the way. (Padfoot/N: Your new best friend, right? Why so gloomy, Prongsie?) And they found their way down together. The professor hadn't come down yet, so they were standing outside the door all alone.

"Early, Potter." Smirked a dark character. Severus Snape emerged from the shadows. "Where's Black, Potter? Has even your own friends let you down?" James coughed and really felt his mood blow away.

"He's ill. You're sick. You can go to class though, seeing as it's only your head that's affected." James spat and got a counter attack. "Funny one. You seem a little down too, Potter. Caught a cold? The little rat is your life guard then, I presume?"

James sent Peter a look, while Snape found his wand. James reaction was to do the same. It was not often they did it simultaneously. James was often long before him, but not now. "You're in deep water, Potter."

"And you can go to hell, Snivellus, it's burning there you know. You know that you will end up there eventually. It's not like Sirius and Remus will be away for ever, and I really think that one don't die from a cold," James threatened, trying to avoid a fight.

"What is it, Potter? Scared?" Snape taunted, "Need your friends? Scared of me?"

"No, just being ill. You're really irritating sometimes, and I don't bother to fight you now," James said and started to look for Lily. She hadn't arrived yet. Had his suspicions been right? Had it been Lily who wanted revenge?

Madame Pomfrey said it was a magical illness. Someone must have cast the magic, which was obvious. Could it have been her? He hadn't done that much to her, had he?

"Hey, Potter." James turned as Snape yelled, "Expelliarmus."

James was lifted from his feet and fell into the wall behind him, while his wand flew out of his hand. Peter was too afraid to do anything, and just stood there watching as his idol got beaten up by their worst enemy.

"Boys, boys!" Professor Slughorn called through the hall, in a feminine voice. James got to his feet, sneezing again. His head was probably going to explode, but he muttered, "Busted," to Snape.

"Snape, what's going on here?" the professor asked. "Potter raised his wand towards me, but luckily I managed to throw my spell first, or else I would probably be covered by slugs or I might have lost my hair," Snape said in a weak voice.

He sent James a triumphing look. "Potter, ten points away."

First now, James noticed that the whole Gryffindor and Slytherin class were watching. "Now, to class…" Slughorn said happily, and the lesson began.

James suffered through an unbelievable hard day.

When he came down to the hospital wing, he saw Sirius throw a pillow on Remus, and laugh. The day James had just gone through was like hell compared to Sirius one. He'd obviously been joking with Remus and throwing pillows.

(Padfoot/N: Thanks, Prongsie:) I'm making your life miserable, and you're offering me Fisherman's Friend.)

* * *

The day had come, when Sirius was unhappy, and James like a child. They were on the train, sleeping. Dumbledore had decided that it should go at six o'clock in the morning so the students could come home to their families a bit earlier than normal. (Padfoot/N: I'll kill him!) 

(It was probably because that night was a full moon, and Remus needed to be home in good time before he became a monster.)

**Padfoot: ok, Prongsie. Remus, my new best friend is Not a monster. He's got a hairy problem, that's all. Good luck with your best mate, Peter. Hope you'll become happy. **

Around eleven all of them were awaken because the old lady with the trolley just had been there. They all loved sweets! "What's that James?" Peter asked. James had just unpacked his saxophone.

"It's an instrument, Peter. Want to hear some?" Peter nodded. He had never seen anyone play an instrument before. James looked at Sirius who nodded. Some minutes later both had their saxes in hand. They did their warm up (Padfoot/N: In G major, that's a B scale on the piano, at least it is in Norwegian) when Remus stopped them.

"Maybe we should stop? Anyone can hear us, and the students next door has been punching the wall for a while."

He was right, they could hear them too. Remus seemed to be in thoughts, "I've got an idea." He said a spell and asked Peter to go outside, listening to the music there. When Peter got out, he closed the door.

"Now play the strongest you can." Sirius and James so did, they liked to make noise. After Remus told them to stop, he asked Peter to come inside again. "Liked the show my friend?" "Did they play?" The three boys nodded. After getting looks form his other friends, Remus told them what he had done.

He had cast a silencing charm on the compartment. Now the boys could play in peace. And no one would ever know what they had done.

Sirius stared to play "in the mood", (Padfoot/N: Personal favourite. Always fun to play it!) and not long after James followed.

* * *

"In the mood," was not exactly what Sirius was feeling hours later when the train stopped at King's Cross. He was feeling afraid, insecure and was generally shaking. He stepped of the train and looked around. 

"Sirius," his brother Regulus ran towards him, but was stopped. Stopped by his father, who came over to Sirius and took a firm grip around his arm. The house elf was dragging the trunk behind them, and when they found a suitable place, they apparated.

Seconds later, when the darkness filled his surroundings, Sirius remembered that he hadn't wished James a happy Christmas, and they didn't even say good bye.

Regulus appeared right behind them seconds after, together with the house elf.

* * *

James had a perfectly good time. His family were there, he had a lot of presents and he didn't need to think of all the school work since he already had done them! It was now chirstmas eve and his family was having this great dinner. 

They were eating turkey. (Prongs/N: My family are eating ribs on Christmas eve. But Norwegians are also eating some other things...)

(Padfoot/N: Like lutefisk and pinnekjøtt, but my family don't. hehe)

It looked so good! James wanted to grab it and eat it right now, but he had to wait a few more minutes. They weren't finished setting the table.

When they finally got to eat the turkey James was the first one to grab some of it. He was having one of the best times when he eating Christmas dinner together with his family.

When they all were full, they cleaned the table. "James, you're going to be a big man sometime." His grandfather told him. James had actually eaten more than the old man.

(Prongs/N: remember that I'm not so tall and big here...)

The house looked perfect again. The family sat in the living room and most of them wanted to know how the school was going for James. It was only his parents who knew something, but they didn't know much.

"Schools fine. I've got some friends, three, in Gryffindor. They are so much fun to be with. Peter's a bit "I do whatever you want", Remus, it seems, loves to read books, and Sirius is soo funny!" (Padfoot/N: Percetly agrees. Same to you, by the way)

"He's the one who's the most like me, but he also walks like he's rich, which he is being a Black, and he's more quiet when we're near the Slytherins." The family looked at him with big eyes.

"You're friends with a Black?" several of them asked in unison while Mrs. Potter askes; "You're friends now?"

"Yes, he's nothing like his family. He hates them, and Yes mom, we're now friends so Mr. Catherwood doesn't need to worry any longer."

The family looked rather confused so Mrs. Potter asked if James didn't want to play a bit piano for them. He gladly did. It didn't seem like his family would undestand why he was friends with Sirius anyway.

(Prongs/N: I know this is lame, but I have so much to write that I don't know anything about and I also don't want this chapter to be too long.)

James had been woken up by his mother. She had told him that the rest of the family already was ready to open their gifts, they were just waiting for James, as they always did. (Padfoot/N: Poor them. James is always sleeping for ages.)

"But mom, it's only 8 am, I need more sleep!" the protest didn't help and two minutes later he was sitting in his pysjamas together with his smiling family. This was what he hated with christmas mornings.

James knew the family loved to make fun of him, they always did. But why had it to be when he was supposed to sleep? Hadn't they heard about "beauty sleep"? (Padfoot/N: "Beauty sleep" Siriusly James. That's not your reason.)

But he didn't like that the others got to open their presents before him either, he had to be the fist one every year. (Padfoot/N: You're so spoiled, and ego)

When he was halfway though he noticed the larges present in the room. "Who's that gift for?" He asked. "It's yours James, open it!" His father smiled. James was eager and did it at once. He opened it and found a rather wierd looking instrument.

"What's this one called? It looks like a violin, just bigger!"

The family smiled. "It's a cello my dear boy. Don't you like it?" James was grinning. "I really wanted a new instrument. It's kind of boring to play just the flute, piano, sax and violin, you know." (Padfoot/N: Hes got the exact amount as me, in reality that is, when you doesn't count the cello.)

More than a few of the family members gasped. "You play all those instruments boy?" His grandfather asked, surprised. "Yeah, I do grandad."

James was happy about his gifts. But he smiled videst when he got the cello and the new broom. Yes, he had gotten a brand new broom.

He would need it for his secound year at Hogwarts when he wanted to play Quidditch, and since his uncle worked in a broom shop James knew he would get the best one and that a newer and better one wouldn't arrive that soon.

"When do you get a new broom in, uncle?" James asked. "Around christmas next year, James. They really want to make the brooms good next year." James grinned. He loved his family.

"James?" Suddely his mother asked. "What?"

"You've got your first lesson tomorrow. The cello teacher really wanted to learn you as much as possible before you're returning to school." James began to jump around in the house while singing;

"I'm going to play the cello! I'm going to play the cello!" With that he meant that he was going to learn How to play the cello.

And Sirius didn't know it yet! He really hoped that Sirius wasn't going to play the cello aswell, that would just be to wierd. They couldn't begin on the same insrunment at the same time once again, could they?

* * *

To think of it, it hadn't been more than less than a week, and James was already bored by his new toys. Ok, he still loved the cello and the broom, but he hadn't had that much time for his broom yet. (Prongs/N: I know! How is that even possible!?) 

He had been playing a lot on his cello, though. His mother made him go to the cello teacher every single day, so he had to practise.

His teacher was surprised that the boy actually had played all the songs from the book just this week. James being who he was just shrugged it off, he was a musical talent and he knew it.

But James wasn't the only one playing the cello as he had done it for weeks, there was this other boy there playing at the exact same time!

* * *

'What a heavy instrument!' James thought, as he dragged the cello with him. A minute later he heard the exact same words said out loud by his best friend. "Sirius! You also got a cello?" 

Sirius had been dragging his cello all the way to the teacher by himself. His parents didn't even think of helping him, they had better things to do in their holidays.

"Yes, is it that hard to see?" They walked the last few minutes together. "No. But why're you going now? I mean, I got the lesson now." Sirius stopped in front of the front door. "You're joking, right?"

James knocked on the door, and sat his instrument down. He didn't want to carry it while standing, Sirius did the same.

"There you are my boys, come in, come in!" they did, as if they had any choice. "I'm Mr. Roger."

"Roger that!" James and Sirius said in unison. "Good, I see you've got manners." They looked at their teacher, "What?"

"I want all my students to say "Roger that" when they understand what I mean. See?" James looked over at Sirius, 'one, two, three!' "Roger that!" Mr. Roger smiled. "Not everyone does."

The boys unpacked their cellos and sat down on a chair. "You're going to have lessons at the same time since you're both going to boarding school again just after the holidays. But don't tell your parents that. Now unpack your flute and play a piece for us." He nodded towards James.

James had just finished his flute lesson when his mother drew him home to get his cello and told him the way to his teacher. When you play as many instruments as he do, you sometimes has to do it on the same day, that's life. (Padfoot/N: Yeah, that's life. My life. Completely normal, mate. On Wednesday I've even got three lessons, or practise as you can say.)

James just forgot that he already had his bag at his back.

"Why do you want me to play the flute?" He got a look and did what his teacher had told him. Before James began to play he looked at Sirius. "You see the piano over there? Let's play."

"Mr. Roger, is it ok if I play a bit on the piano?" The teacher laughed. "It's not in tune, but feel free." Sirius played some notes. It was half a tone wrong, so it would be some thinking into it.

He tried it out and nodded at James. They played "Sadness and Sorrow" and the teacher just gasped. "You two really can play instruments can you?" The boys laughed and the lesson began.

* * *

Sirius was lost in the sound of the cello. He stroke over it with elegance, just listening to the sound it made. The deep, soft sound so different from the violin, even though it look the same. What was really confusing was that it was so much larger. The fingers were used a little differently because it was longer. The cello sound was something you could just drown in.

"Sirius, oy, Sirius!" James called. "What?" Sirius snapped out of it. "Are you daydreaming?" James asked. Sirius just shrugged. "Seeing as you two seems to be familiar with strings and bows, I believe we'll go through the way of holding it right, and the different notes, and we'll try a song that's harder than beginners would normally get."

* * *

An hour later both boys was high spirited and very happy. They were singing, and jumping down the pavement. Then James turned towards Sirius. "I'm going in here, mate," he told nodding towards the road behind him. 

"James, I…" Sirius began and looked away. "This is probably the last time I'll see you before school." James raised an eyebrow, "what about the cello lessons?"

Sirius bit his lip. "My parents are really angry at me, and they don't want me to leave the house to much. I'll be taught at home. My uncle plays, I believe. In the summer I'll have normal lessons, though."

James was kicking a rock, which moved a couple of meters, on the cold ground. He then looked up. "It seems like it'll snow tonight. Snowball fight back at Hogwarts?" he said grinning, trying to lighten the mood of his friend.

This time, though, it failed.

* * *

The family was all waiting for New Years Eve, all except Sirius. He really didn't look forward to meet his entire family again. At Christmas there were only them, having a smaller meal. 

Regulus had become ill on the 23rd December and the Christmas Eve had been quiet. On the next morning, how ever, Sirius and Regulus had gone down to the drawing room. The presents were all underneath a beautiful tree.

Sirius noticed that his pile of gifts was much smaller than the one of Regulus, but he didn't comment on it, he knew why. He was a Gryffindor, which was the only reason. Nevertheless, he got a large present from his parents, a cello.

It was a card connected to it, reading: Sirius, we want you to start yet another instrument to show that you are better than the Potters. We also hope that this will become so time-consuming that you won't be with your friends, but practise. Orion and Waldurga.

Once again he got a lot of books. Some good old classics, but mostly about being pure blood, pure blood history and other Dark arts books. He had at least got his good old uncle Alphard. He'd given him the best broom on the market.

The only respectable relative Sirius had got, except for his cousin Andromeda.

Three knocks on the door was heard. "Sirius, mum is asking for you. The guests will arrive soon," the voice of Regulus was heard.

Sirius didn't respond, and the same message and knocks was given once again.

"All right, al right. I'll come," Sirius muttered grumpily as he got to his feet. Lying down in his bed, staring at the ceiling was much better than facing his perfect, pure blooded relatives. Regulus looked at him rolling his eyes.

"You're not even in your dress robes. Mother will be furious," Regulus stated but Sirius just ignored him and went down the stairs. But, of course, his brother was right. All ready five minutes later Sirius was dragged up the stairs by his mother.

"I can't believe you. First you become a Gryffindor, then you befriend a Potter, and now you don't even know your manners. You ungrateful child!" She yelled at him as she pushed him into his bedroom.

She disappeared and entered the room with the clothes. Probably very expensive and maybe inherited from an important relative who was now dead and gone. He wasn't remembered, if Sirius knew right, no one in this bloodline was remembered for anything good, or remembered at all.

They were just important for the pure blood name.

* * *

When the time approached eight, Sirius was called upon. He subbed down the stairs, feeling like he was one of the people on a portrait from the early eighteen hundreds. The clothing probably was so. 

An ancient Sirius might have been wearing them. There were a lot of Siriuses, so why not all of them? Sirius the last one thought grimly.

"There you are," Mrs Black said to him, in a bad mood, "behave!" she hissed as she opened the door for her sister and brother-in-law. "How are you? How are you?" were exchanged and handshakes given.

"And little Regulus," their Aunt said and hugged the small boy. Sirius had taken quite a few steps away from the scene, trying not to get noticed, but he was, of course. Bellatrix came up to him.

"I don't understand you cousin," she began, and he met her eyes bravely, "why did you choose Gryffindor for yourself? Surely you must see that it ruins all your future prospects. All your chances for a good marriage."

Sirius deeply wished that he was taller than he was. She, a grown woman, was so much further from the ground than himself. "I believe that we have different views on those things, Trixie," he said not letting the eye contact slip for one second.

"We certainly have little cousin," she whispered. "You don't know what is good for you," she shook her head and continued a little louder, "A disgrace for the entire family."

That evening Sirius was humiliated in front of everyone, and when he went to bed he fell asleep with a serious wish for being someone else than he was. Someone else than Sirius Black.

* * *

So today it was New Years Eve and James looked depressed. "Why do we have to go see this concert!?" James had found out that his parents had gotten this sick habit of going to concerts every now and then. "We missed the private show", they told him. 

They had perfect seats. They were able to see all the musicians and there was someone in the building that made James' mood rise in top speed. Lily. (Prongs/N: do I have to write more?)

He didn't know what she was doing there, but now he had something to look at, or after, and listen to. He felt like he was in heaven.

Then she moved closer, and closer and stopped right in front of him. "Here's the seats! Mom, dad!" She waved to a pretty couple.

When the Evans were seated James took his chance and leaned closer. "Hey Lily. You're also here to enjoy the music I believe?" He was glad he hadn't leaned to near her, the girl bloody jumped. "James!" about twenty faces was turned against them now. "Yes?"

"What are you doing here?" She whispered. Lily didn't want all that attention turned at them again. "Going to listen to music while, or I hoped to dream of you, but now I'm going to look at you for the entire show." She didn't respond, just turned around and talked to her parents.

"Who's that girl James? You know this is a muggle show?" His mother asked. "She's from my class, and she's also a Gryffin!" his mother smiled one of her smiles and made a sound. The Evans turned to see what happened.

"Hi, I'm Mrs. Potter, Klare Potter. Aren't you just so glad that we met?" Lily almost fell on the floor, Petunia made a face and Mr and Mrs Evens didn't know what they should answer.

"You're not afraid, are you? I know it's a bit of a shook to met Magical people here, but...well...someone have to do something."

Lily was now back to her normal self and took the lead. "Hi, I'm Lily Evans, pleasure." Mrs. Potter sent her a smile. "See? It's not that hard to talk to us."

That night James didn't catch much of the music. The Potters and the Evans were now friends, at least the elder ones.

* * *

"What happened Sirius? I was out of your life for, well, three days? And suddenly you're back to that "I'm rich" manner!" James had just seen his friend walk again, and he didn't like it much. 

"It's complicated, James." Sirius said, and drank some more of his pumpkin juice. "No, it's clear to me that you have been in serious trouble." James sent him a worried look. "It's nothing."

Sirius refused to say much more that night, and for the first time James couldn't do anything for him.

* * *

James had tried everything to cheer Sirius up, but what ever he did, nothing helped. Like in the History lesson they'd just been though. Sirius had just been wandering off into his own miserable world, staring blankly out into space. 

James waved his wand toward the teacher and muttered a spell. Suddenly a cloud appeared over the professor's head. Rain fell down right through him. A little while later he noticed it. His book was becoming wet. (Prongs/N: Dun dun duuun)

The whole class were laughing and the professor actually stopped reading. "Who made my book wet?" he didn't raise his voice, but you could hear that he was irritated. "Probably the cloud over your head," James grinned.

More hysterical laugher.

James looked over at Sirius, who was still in his own world. He hadn't noticed anything. James was staring to get really grumpy. James become so irritated that he moved the rainy cloud over to Sirius.

Sirius was gradually becoming more and more wet, but he still didn't look up. James stood up, hit Sirius in the head, and went out. (Padfoot/N: He's got this habit to hit me, when he's annoyed at me. Siriusly annoying)

**Over and out,**

**Padfoot and Prongs**

**Ps. We are wandering weither or not you readers can tell the difference when we are writing. is this Padfoot or Prongs? What? I can't hear you. I think you better review to tell us. It's difference I can tell you, do you see it?**


	6. Harp

Since the scene in the classroom, things hadn't changed for weeks. Then, one day, James got an idea. He dragged Sirius out in the halls, pushed him down to the Slytherin common rooms, and stopped.

He lifted his own wand and everything on the ground floor on Hogwarts was changed to pink, with turquoise stripes. Only Gryffindors, Hufflepufs and Rawenclaws were spared.

Sirius couldn't help but smile, and when a Slytherin walked by, looking all pink, Sirius laughed, and James knew that is friend was back. He held up his hand and Sirius hit it. "Glad to have you back, mate" James grinned.

"Glad to be back," was the respond, and both boys ran down the corridor throwing other spells on passing, pink enemies. They got detentions for a week, but to James, it had been worth it. To get his best friend back was priority number one.

* * *

After this scene it was very ironic that James one day was totally silent himself. He had disappeared the day before, and was now back. No one had ever seen him this pale. He refused to speak to anyone, even Sirius.

* * *

The summer came, and James was still awkward. He responded if asked, but kept the silence if he could. Sirius had no idea what to do. Cheering up was James' area to cover, he himself had little experience with it. 

Therefore it's not much to tell you about the train ride. They said "good bye" and went home, still in an awkward, heavy mood, which was set by the mysterious James.

* * *

Sirius entered Grimmauld Place in an odd mood. He was thinking about James, but he was also thinking about his own miserable holiday. "Sirius, come here for a moment," his mother called from the living room. 

He sulked in there and was met by his parents. "We have decided for you to play the harp."

Sirius was like nailed to the floor. Harp? Were they loosing their mind? "What?" he asked. "Are those ears painted on?" his mother barked. "We have bought a harp, and you're not taking one step out of this house before you can master it."

"But I don't want to play the…" he argued but was cut off, as usual when he tried to speak. "There's no question. You will play the harp, starting tomorrow!"

Sirius sighed and went up to his room. This was hopeless, wasn't it? His parents pushing another and another instrument on him. His list was already very long. Was there no end to this? A harp? That was the last straw wasn't it?

At least James wouldn't play one. That would bee too weird.

* * *

James was picked up by his parents. He had to go home for a little while, meet his family and talk to them. His grandfather had just died. The family was glad that it wasn't Voldemort's work, or so they thought. The nurse had told them it was a heart attack, which is natural for men in the age of 79. 

Even thought the family knew that the man's days had to be gone soon, they were crying the whole lot, except James.

James had had this talk to the old man some time ago that they might not see each other again. The old man had told his grandson that Voldemort was after him, which meant his life, and that he would've gone hiding if he hadn't been that old. He said that it wasn't worth using much time on an old man soon dying anyway.

James had just come home, that was probably the reason he didn't cry, but James had also known that the man was a living, dead man.

He had gotten a lot of hugs. Each and everyone long and wet. James had never in his life seen his father show any emotions, now the man was crying whole heartily, it was his father who had died so James understood it perfectly well.

"I'm going out for a bit, to clear my mind." No one seemed to have heard him, but then again they didn't need to. James put on a jacket and went outside.

He almost couldn't feel the light breeze, but he noticed that his grandfather was with him, the only man that really understood him, and could've been so important in the next few years.

James was going to be a man, a great man he believed himself, but now he wasn't so sure. What great things could he, a little boy, a human, do?

James was near the park. He had never been there at this time of the day. The dark sky was clear and he saw so many stars, more than he had ever done. The water was like a mirror, not moving at all.

As he walked he saw things he had never seen, or never thought of. How annoying those cars really were and the air that could have been so much better to breath. James felt like a spirit walking there. He felt like he was a part of the nature for the first time in his life. He was also full of thoughts, which was unusual.

James Potter did never think, not even on testes. He didn't need to; he never felt like it, he had everything. But not any more. He felt alone, and he really needed his friends. For the first time ever he saw how important friends really were.

He thanked God that he wasn't one of them without a best friend, or a friend at all. He understood that he had so much in life others never could have. He still had three grandparents, he was glad he had. He was twelve and first now he had lost someone he loved.

He knew they were in war, that he was lucky that nothing more had happened with his family. He had made fun of those who just cried with no reason at all, they had no family left. They Had a reason. But it wasn't until now James saw it.

He also felt for his mate, Sirius. Sirius hadn't that great a life. He didn't have a family, and James was the only one who could figure out Sirius, the only one that could protect his friend.

After the funeral they had this eating and chatting thing. The grownups talked about everything and nothing, some even smiled. James got rather angry by these persons.

'Why did they smile!?' He didn't know what to do, so he walked outside.

Granddad would know what to do in such situation, but this was his funeral and he was dead. James sat down on a stone and cried even more, it was the only thing he could do at the moment.

Then he had to let time heal it, just like a wand, as his grandfather had told him, "Time helps you know, just too bad it walked way to fast." He had laughed then, and James hadn't understood why. Now he could tell that his grandfather was joking about his own age and death.

James still let the tears flow, he really needed it.

(Padfoot/N: Wow, Prongsie! I'm so proud. There were _very_ few spelling mistakes here. I'm so proud! Love the profile page by the way. You started over;)

* * *

"James, would you come in here for a second?" his mother asked. A couple of days had past since the funeral, and James had started to get used to the idea. Yes, he was still in deep grief, but he had chosen to pull himself together and get over this. 

"Sure," he said, leaving his cello in the living room.

In the room he entered there was a large instrument with strings. "What's..?" James began, nodding towards the instrument. "Sit down James," his mother smiled. "Granddad has left you money, and when we got more in detail in his will…"

She took a short break "… we noticed that he'd passed over an old harp to you that he dearly wishes you to play." James gaped. "Play the harp?" he asked. "I guessed you wouldn't go against your granddad's last will, so I have already found you a teacher."

"What?" James asked. "Of course I will, but I think you should listen to what I want to…" he was cut off again. "Now, now. Shouldn't you be inviting your friends over?"

James stood up, irritated and went out.

He knew better than to ask for Sirius only some days out in the holiday, so he started to wander out in muggle London.

Somehow he had muggle money in his pockets. Probably from the one time he played poker against some muggle born, boys. He'd won.

He was lost in his own though about what to do in this part of London when a loud and sharp sound came behind him, and he jumped to the side. It was first then he noticed that he'd been walking in the middle of the road.

The car driver looked irritated at him, and he muttered a "sorry".

As he moved along the street he grinned for himself. That was the kind of thing Sirius would've done if he'd been there. For some stupid reasons he was afraid of cars, phones and everything in connection with muggles.

Well, except motorcycles, that was. He was really fascinated by them.

James stopped next to a shop where they sold cakes. After going in, and coming out again with a large chocolate cookie in his hand, he kept walking down the street. But not long down, he stopped again.

A music shop. He went in like on an impulse, with the inner excuse of, "well, I'll probably need some new saxophone reeds soon." He walked past pianos, music stands and guitars. While passing the last mentioned he felt that he someday would have to try it out.

He went over to the music note books. "Violin, Flute, Piano…" he read, but passed them. Suddenly a book with a picture of a harp came against him. He opened it. A beginners book, and next to it: another book.

He opened this one as well. "Petite valse," he read knowing enough French to understand the title. A little dance, he looked at all the small, black and very familiar dots that filled the pages. Then seconds later he had bought the books, together with two new 2,5 alto saxophone reeds.

He ran all the way back home, ready to start practise on his new instrument.

* * *

Sirius had a teacher coming home this time. He wasn't aloud outside the house, and going to a lesson was no excuse. Being grounded was not exactly much fun. His violin and cello play was improving, though. 

He let his hands touch the harp strings. It was a good feeling, and not too different from the piano. He was going to prove his family wrong. Nearly two weeks had past and he was getting better.

If he managed to play it, they couldn't stop him from running over to James' house. They were evil people, but at least they never backed on their word. That had got something to do with pride. And pride is important for a pure blood.

After practising and practising this one piece so that he knew it backwards he got his mother and father to listen. It was harp concert by some composer he'd never heard of himself.

He played it perfectly as he'd done for the past hour, and waited for the judges to give him their opinion. "You may go out tonight, but be back before midnight," his mother said and rose to her feet, at the same time as Orion.

They left without another word.

Sirius didn't need a hint. He waited until they were out of sight, he then ran down the stairs, and out the door and unto the streets of London. He got on the knight bus, and it wasn't long before he stood on the doorstep outside of the Potter house.

He knocked on the door.

"Sirius!" was what James shouted and dragged his best friend in. In unison they said, "You can't believe what I have started to play!" they stared, "you first," Sirius said, but his voice was echoed again.

As on clue they both shouted, "harp!"

* * *

The sweet trolley came, and the boys ran for it. Coming back with mountains of sweets to disappear under, they sat down joking, and eating. 

After hours of exploding snap and sweets, Sirius told the boys to keep the window and the door shut. He found a chocolate frog and opened it. The frog jumped, and Sirius began to play. Hide and seek that is. The others laughed. Sirius didn't seem like he was a human, he acted like a dog. After five minutes with Sirius literally almost all over the compartment, he caught the frog.

"That is about the last frog, isn't it?" Remus asked and they all became quiet. It wasn't a good thing that James didn't get all the chocolate frogs he wanted. "I'm so sorry mate, I didn't know." Sirius offered James the rest of the frog, but James refused.  
Just when Sirius had taken the head in his mouth and ate it, James didn't seem to look so well.

"What's wrong, mate?" Sirius asked his mouth still full of the frogs head. "This is the very last frog" he found it in his pocket and was on his way to eat it when... Lily entered.

"Oh! You've got chocolate frogs!" James looked down at the frog he was holding and hid it behind his back. "No, there are no frogs here." Lily put on a sweet smile, "Can I please have the frog James?" He refused. There was simply something James didn't give away that easily, Lily tried again. "Sweet James, please?" "No Lily, the frog is Mine!" James began to get angry. Peter walked out of the compartment. He didn't want to laugh in front of Lily, she would get mad he presumed. Sirius and Remus followed soon, sadly they would miss the fun but that didn't matter now. They were now alone in the room. "What's the matter James? Don't you like me?" James knew what she was doing, she was blackmailing him! "I like the frog better, thank you very much." Lily looked truly hurt. "You like sweets better than me?" She asked. "Yeah, pretty much." James tightened his grip on the frog. Then he noticed a single tear making its way to her chin. "Here, chocolate helps." He gave her the frog, the very last frog on the train. James never wanted to make girls cry, he didn't like seen them unhappy.

She smiled, "thank you Potter," she said and turned. James stood like nailed to the ground. The other marauders came back again, looking oddly at him. "What's the matter, mate?" Sirius asked.

"She took it…" James muttered. "What?" both Remus and Sirius said, even though they both already knew. "The frog… she cried, I offered her the chocolate, and…"

After this scene James was a scapegoat for all their jokes that train ride. Giving chocolate to girls, unwillingly. If he'd wanted to give to her, but no, he wanted to be ego, but she tricked him.

* * *

James was still grumpy when the sorting had started. He sent Lily angry looks. Being tricked by her in front of all his friends was quite humiliating. He was desperate to keep his pride as a boy, and when James Potter was desperate, he didn't let his brain think twice. 

He flicked his wand towards her, not even Sirius noticed what he was doing, but that might also have to do with his brother being sorted into Slytherin.

It took about thirty seconds for one of Lily's friends to comment on her new hair colour. "It's blue, Lily it's blue!" she yelled and the whole of Gryffindor turned their heads, followed by the rest of the great hall.

Lily's hair was indeed blue, and she rose to her feet and ran out, while Slytherins laughed at her. The blue hair disappeared and a wave of chatting rose.

Sirius sent James one glance, and James knew that his best friend had understood it all.

* * *

Nothing goes past Lily Evans, and the day after, when the lessons were over and the homework was given she decided upon revenge. She had watched James do his homework for ages. Her hair still a bit blueish. 

James looked over at her sometimes, sending her teasing looks, commenting to his marauders that, "Lily is in love with me" or "You see it right? The way she can't take the eyes away from me."

Suddenly she stood up, walked over to him, snatched the parchment he'd been working on all night and threw it into the fire. It took James about ten seconds to react. He just sat there staring at his burning essay before all the feelings just exploded.

"Evans! It's your fault! I've been writing on that essay the last three hours, and now you burned it! I can't believe you would ever do such a thing! I know you don't like me that much, and that the guys and I are pranks you a lot, but that's just not reason enough. You can't just do these things to other people..." (Padfoot/N: Yeah, that came from the right person)Lily felt tears fall down on her chin. He had no idea how much his words hurt her. James hadn't even noticed that she was crying, and he continued his speech while she cried in silence.

"...just because you want to. Hey, Evans! Are you even listening?" He looked up at the girls face, "Oh my..." Lily ran away. James stood there for about three seconds before his instinct told him to run after her, and so he did. When he reached her he managed to stop her, he just placed himself in front of her. "Potter, stop." Lily murmured. "No Lily. What's wrong?" He was holding her shoulders. "Let me go, please!" She tried to get free from his grip.

"Not before you tell me what's wrong." Lily closed her eyes for a second. "Are you really that stupid?" She asked in a whisper. James loosened his grip, but he was still holding her. "Maybe I am." Lily then began to cry out loud. "Why do you need to be such an idiot?" James grabbed his arms around her, giving her a hug. "I don't know. Is there anything I can do to make this right?" Lily shook her head. "No, it's too late." James let go of her, his head full of thoughts.

He made his way to the lake, and sat down by the river side. The sky was grey, and so the water. But that didn't matter. James just sat there, alone and away from his friends. For the first time in month he needed some space, some time alone just to think. ¤¤¤¤¤¤When Sirius saw Lilys tearful face as she entered the common room, he understood that it was no use go finding James. He also felt like having a time for himself.

That was nothing that happened often, but sometimes it just had to. He walked to the astronomy tower. There he found some fifth years making out like they had no time left on this earth. "Hey! Get out of here!" The boy shouted to him. But been who he was, Sirius was used to angry persons. "And if I don't?" They stopped and looked weirdly at him. "Like you're going to stay," Sirius just crossed his arms. "I think we'll stay," the teenagers smiled. "Are you aware that you're talking to purebloods?" "Do you know who I am?" Sirius answered. He knew it was rude to answer a question with a question, but he had to. "No, but you're no one compared to us." Sirius snorted. "What's your names?" They told him and he began to laugh.

"Don't laugh!" They were beginning to get angry. "You're blood traitors, that's what you are." The girl sent her boyfriend a look, "How does he know who our families are?" she asked him, and Sirius heard. "For one: you're not in Slytherin, two: It's not that hard to see really, those clothes are muggle clothes." "So, that doesn't matter," the girl said. "Ah, you're really that stupid. It _does_ matter to a pureblood, I know that very well." Sirius told the older ones."How do you know that?" "I'm a Black. I've got to know such things don't I?"

He looked at their horrified faces, "Can I please stay here alone now?" They sprinted out. Finally.Sirius sat in the window sill now. He had been thinking for a while. About his family, and his own position in it. He hoped they wouldn't be too horrible to live with.

* * *

James was done thinking. He'd been doing it for some time now. He was glad it was over; he really didn't like thinking that much. (Padfoot/N: Well, I dare say you've got self irony, Prongsie. But I totally agree with you. Once again, I'm the smart one, you're the tall one.) 

He got up, and walked back to the school where he met Lily. "What were you doing outside? Isn't it freezing?" She asked before she understood who she talked to. "Nah, I'll survive." He made a small laugh, "Aren't you on your way outside?" "Yeah, but I don't want it anymore; I'll take a walk in the castle." She turned and walked away. Before James had time to go after this strange but beautiful girl, he heard his name being called out."James!" Remus came running towards him.

"Have you seen Sirius? He's been gone almost as long as you." Remus said while trying to catch his breath. James smiled, "I've been outside by the lake thinking, and I like to be outside you know. Sirius I bet is up in the astronomy tower or something thinking as well. Want to find him?" Remus nodded. He had been looking for his friend for some time now. ¤Sirius heard voices appear nearby. He didn't want anyone to come here now. Sirius Black never thought with anyone knowing it.

He had to pretend he was doing something else. Luckily he had his books with him, and he started to read. "What're you doing Sirius?" Shit, it was just his friends, it had been better if he hadn't done anything! "Reading," he hold his book up, "Are you blind James?" "I'm not blind even thought I'm wearing glasses! And it's just not everyday we can see the famous Sirius Black sitting reading, and you're holding it upside-down." James grinned.

He knew what his friend had been doing even thought he didn't want to say it, there were so alike. "It's not everyone who knows who I am..." Sirius thought of the fifth years earlier, "...I had to tell a snogging couple before I got the tower all by myself." Remus and James laughed.

"You're never doing homework in a quiet place, you can't concentrate when it's all quiet. You were thinking!" 'How did James know what he had been doing?' "I could feel it all down to the lake." "What? You've been down by the lake? When did that happen?" "Do you want to know what Sirius said?" "What?" Sirius snapped. "What." James grinned. "You're all mean James, you know that?" The silent Sirius was gone, and the "old" one back. "Let's go find another secret hideout!"

* * *

**Prongs: Why don't we just end the chapter here? Since we've written long enough to let this be a chapter and I really don't know what more to write... Oh, and I'm surprised that you actually wrote something! **

**Padfoot: Great idea. Sorry, mate, but I've been ill and I've killed my PC, I can't get the battery loaded so it suddenly turns off and stuff. Besides I've been watching a Jdorama called Hana Yori Dango, playing (could it be called that?) violin and making dinner. Japanese and chocolate mousse….**

**Well, we expect a lot of reviews, kay?**

**Ps. Can I, Mr Padfoot, just say that from this point on it's getting harder to write about the instruments. I believe we have covered my range of knowledge. Well, the clarinet is missing out, but appart from that... Well, I don't know much about harps. I know people who play them, I have been looking at music sheets, played together with one, touch one, but I haven't had a lesson, and I know LITTLE, so if anyone wants to explain to me a little, it'd be great:) Did I get it somewhat right? **


	7. Camping?

**_It's nearly been a year but we're still working a little on the fic. I, mr. Padfoot only have some time to spare in Hollidays see, so I'm ruining the project for us! (Sorry Prongsie!). We've started HIgh School, and I attend in another town so I have to travell, an hour or so every day. (Just because I wanted to study music...)_**

**_All creds to Mr. Prongsie for this chapter!! You've done great pal!! (though I read through, corrected, posted and wrote the end.....)_**

"Mom, I'll be leaving now!" Everything was ready for their plan to begin. Sirius was waiting outside the front door under the invisibility cloak. When James came outside he walked to the closest place he knew there would be no other sole that his, and Sirius'. Obviously Sirius had followed him there, it was a part of the plan.

Sirius took off the cloak and placed it in his bag. With a nod they both got on their brooms and took off. They were glad it was a rainy day, so the clouds would easily cover them. Earlier they had found a nice spot to camp while looking at a map. It would take some time to get there, but the boys enjoyed the flight.

The tent was up, miraculously, the beds ready to sleep in and midnight. James and Sirius had had a hard time putting up the tent, neither had done it before. Both were tired and the beds didn't look less sleepable, there was just one problem: they were hungry.

"Sirius, did you bring some food?"

"No, I thought your mother would send some with you, just like she did last time we went to the park." A moment later an "ouch" was heard in the tent as James hit Sirius in the head. "So you think my mother would make food for us when were going on a trip she doesn't even know about?" It took Sirius some time to figure out what James had meant.

"We need to find a shop or a mall." Sirius said in a tone as he knew everything. James just shook his head. "It's the middle of the night, and there's a long way to the mall, which by the way closed several hours ago." They had a bit of a trouble, and tomorrow was no other day than a Sunday. "Let's go to sleep and figure it out when we wake up, it's too dark outside anyway."

It was going to be a long night.

They had been trying to sleep for about half an hour and both stomachs had begun to make a lot of noise. (Prongs/N: Whonder why...) "Psst, Sirius, you awake?"

"Whit all the noise coming from my bed, isn't it obvious?" James thought for a while and found out that his friend had a point, which he told. "I'm not as stupid as you, James, remember that," was the comment he received.

James knew it was right not to doubt his friend, so he didn't say anything. In his bed Sirius grinned despite the fact that he was hungry. He knew James was a smart fellow, he just had a personality and looks which made you think differently about him.

"Did we check the cupboards in the kitchens whether there were some leftovers there or not?"

In a matter of seconds they were both on their feet and headed towards said room. After going through almost every single one they began to slightly lose their hopes.

James fell on his butt, hard. He had been standing on a chair to reach up to some of the higher cupboards when he found some metal boxes. At first he hadn't understood what they were, but when he turned one of them and read the word "soup" he had tripped. Now he was standing paralysed towards the box.

Sirius on the other hand had moved out of the kitchens and into the master bedroom, where he had found a chest. He'd opened it and honestly expected it to be either empty or full of clothes; he found round metal things that he most likely would have thrown away if he hadn't read the word: food. Now his stomach wouldn't shut up. Neither would James'.

"Sirius, want to eat?" James had found his friend and was now standing in front of him with a box in his hand. "Sure, mate," Sirius answered and hold up an identical box.

They found plates to eat off, something to eat with and put the boxes on the plates. "And now we eat," James said, but when he was ready to dig in he found a new problem.

"These metal boxes, we need to open them... you know how to do it?" James wondered. "As if I know anything about the way muggles lives." Sirius said.

"We need to find a box opener," Sirius looked strangely at his friend, "It's a metal thing." Sirius began to laugh, partly because he was tired, partly because he found what James said quite funny. "Muggles makes a lot of metal things, how can I know which one you mean?"

James had to agree with his friend. Muggles really used metal to a lot of things. Like cars and bikes and a lot more he didn't even know the name of, nor what they were.

Then James remembered that he didn't know how a boxopener looked like himself. "Sirius, we'll just see if we find something to open the boxes with. After they had tried to open the quite annoying boxes with various things, knives, scissors, spoons, and what not, what they had left was weird looking things with food inside.

Now they were really hungry, they had food but couldn't eat it. they talked for a while and found out that they had to find some people who were able to help them. The clock had turned four am., they were tired and it was still dark. "Let's find a house!" There was a pause, "Or at least someone who can help us."

If you happened to be in the forest and awake for some reason or and other in the middle of the night/early morning, you could be the lucky person finding two rather tired twelve year old boys wandering around not knowing where they were heading. By the way, they were talking really loud, or should we say; they screamed to another. They weren't more than one metre apart.

To walk in the middle of the night without light wasn't the easiest thing to do, expecially when your in the middle of the forest. Anyone else would have just waited for the light from the sun first. But the boys hadn't thought, at least not with their brains.

It didn't take them longer than twenty minutes before they found a cabin with lights. When they got closer they found a lot of noise also coming from the cabin, but they ignored it an knoked on the door.

"What!?" A strong voice shouted from inside, sounding more than slightly pissed. "Ehm, you don't have a box opener, do you?" While he said it, James found the question sounding stupid. Who asked a complete stranger, not to mention, angry stranger, about a box opener in the middle of the night?

"Are you stupid!?" Was heard from the inside. "My mate is, yes. But we're hungry." Sirius said before James even got to open his mouth. "Get your own, what was it you needed again!"

"Well, we first thought of that, but we couldn't find one and the shops're obviously not open."

While Sirius was speaking, James for an unknown reason found out that he wanted to go around the cabin. And half way around he found another door. But not just a door, an open door, with a hand sticking out of it, and a thing was in the hand. "Take it," a voice whispered and the hand began to shake.

James just stood there as a question mark. "It's a box opener, stupid. Now take it, hurry!" James did as he was told and walked the rest of the way around the small house and met Sirius.

"Oh," Sirius hadn't even bothered to look at their surroundings as they walked. They came to the tent and found it as cold as outside. Luckily they knew how to heat the tent up. "Why were you so eager to get away James? It's not like we have a way to open those damn boxes now!" James grinned despise what Sirius thought he would.

"Who said we didn't?" James hold a weird looking metal thing in front of his friends face. "Then what is this?"

"I don't know James, and I'm too hungry and tired to think."

"Well, you go to sleep while I'll take some night food. Happy?"

"Yeah, I'm happy." Sirius went to the bed and lied down. Just when he was about to sleep, what James had said finally reached his mind. "Did you say food?" Sirius asked desperately. James grinned even larger. "I thought you were going to sleep."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you mate, but when I'm hungry like I am now, I get desperate when it comes to food. You understand me?" Despise the threatening sound in Sirius' voice, James grinned as if he'd gotten the best Christmas gift ever.

---

"Then I hope you're able to open this box, Sirius, because I have already tried and I didn't manage it." The light which had been in Sirius' eyes vanished as if the last food had been eaten in front of his eyes and he didn't get any. "Let me try!"

"It's just hopeless, the box just won't open." You wonder how long they had been trying to get the food out of the box after they had gotten the box opener, and I will tell you, just not yet.

-

Not too far away from the boys, who couldn't figure out an easy thing as a box-opener, the person who had given it to them was lying in the bed, satisfied. The person now knew that there had to be a camp not too far from where the person now was itself. 'Sadly' the person thought, 'I have to hide and run for all I've got to get away from here.'

Mr. and Mrs. Potter had no idea that their beloved son wasn't at Sirius', neither that said son was out of the city and rather hungry. If they had known such facts they would have ran out of the house and searched for him, just to get him food so he wouldn't be hungry.

---

If they had also known that Sirius was with him, then they would also give him as much food as he liked. Sure they would be angry and might ask their son why he had done such thing, but hey would be more happy about the fact that he was alive. But they didn't know such facts and they had a house to clean before the important guests arrived. In truth they hardly thought about their son at all.

-

And here's the exiting answer, how long had Sirius and James tried to open the box? Five minutes? Ten minutes? After another half an hour they finally found out that they had to push the sharp end into the top of the box and then turn the wheel thing. How come they hadn't figured it out earlier? Well, half of the time they had been trying to figure out what the wheel thing had to do with the box opener at all.

No one in their right mind would ever think that the Blacks would actually trust their eldest son. Sirius hadn't been gone for many hours before they sent Regulus to tail his back. And Regulus did as his parents told him, as usual.

He went to the Potters. After walking up and down the street for about half an hour, he decided that it wouldn't hurt if he called the doorbell. After all, he was Sirius' brother, and he could lie and say that Sirius forgot his jacket or something. Regulus could just take off his own, since the brothers were about the same size.

When he called the doorbell a rather stressed Mrs. Potter opened the door. "Oh, it's just you. I thought you were a guest or something." Sirius hadn't said anything about a party, but then again, he didn't tell them too much about what he spent his time doing other than play all those stupid instruments.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you ma'am, but could I talk to my brother for a second?" Regulus could easily see that the lady didn't understand what he meant. "My brother, Sirius."

"I...I don't quite understand what you're talking about. I thought James was with Sirius at your place." 'That son of a bastard,' thought Regulus. "Oh, strange that I didn't notice the two of them for dinner then. And-," he said before Mrs. Potter could ask, "-the family always eats dinner together."

Now the husband also appeared, behind his wife. "Are you telling us that our son isn't where he told us he would be?" Regulus nodded. "I don't have time for this! My boss will be here any minute now." A car drove into the neighbourhood. "Speaking about the devil."

With that he closed the door, and Regulus was left alone at the doorstep. He'd gotten some interesting news. As Mr. Potter and his father's boss stepped out of the car, he gave the man a deep bow before running home.

--

"Sirius, can you cook?" Sirius sent his friend a look which obviously said: Are you totally out of your mind!?

"James I'm form a pureblood family," James made a sound, "which isn't, sorry the word, bloodtraitors as your family is. If you had seen our staircase you would have seen that we've had plenty of house elves, how could I possibly know how to make my own food?"

Again James found what Sirius said wise and didn't question a thing about it. He just said: "Then we've got yet another problem if we don't want to eat cold tomato soup," he looked into the box, "and that's not very tempting." Sirius couldn't agree more.

The person, still not given any other name than "You" or "Boy" had finally found a chance to escape the cottage. "You" ran with all his might hoping that he would find the boys soon. He ran to the place he knew would look like a good place to camp, though not so great.

He smirked to himself when he found a tent there. "Knock, knock, anyone in there?" He asked out of breath. "Yeah," a childish voice answered, "who's there?"

"James, are you crazy!? You shouldn't talk to strangers, especially not in the middle of the night!"

"Oh, come on Sirius. We could easily get away from here if something dangerous happened."

"Boy" heard voices from the inside of the tent. "I'm sorry, but it's pretty cold outside here." It didn't take long before he was standing inside. "How the hell did the tent grow so large!?" was the first thing he asked.

"See?" Sirius whispered to James. "It wasn't such a good idea to let him in." To the boy he said: "Your eyes must play you a trick."

--

Regulus had run home with all his might. Finally inside he found his mum and said: "You will not believe what I just found out. Sirius isn't at the Potters!" Then hell broke out.

--

Mrs. and Mrs. Potter didn't like the fact that their son had lied to them. But they agreed that he probably wasn't far away, probably just visiting another friend together with Sirius. For the next hours they had to think about their guests.

--

Sirius and James had let the boy stay at one condition: that he would help them make some food. James, who actually didn't like tomato soup that much found out that nothing tasted better, at least not now when he finally got something into his stomach. Sirius felt the same way, though he hadn't tasted this sort of food before.

Sirius was about to sleep when he heard it. Dunk. It sounded as if something had fallen down on the tent sealing. But when he didn't hear it again, he thought it was his imagination. He closed his eyes. Dunk. There it was again. No mistake about it. Dunk. Again?! Dunk... Dunk, dunk. Even more of them, and the sound just got faster and faster. "James, "boy", do you hear that sound?"

"It's just the rain", come the answer. The rain got more intense and soon Sirius felt as if the nature was using all its power to destroy their tent. But the other boys told him tiredly that it was only his imagination and that he should go to sleep. The next day they woke up in the middle of the lake.

His clothes were wet, but Sirius couldn't recall wearing them in the shower. He looked around. James and the boy were there also. They were all drifting slowly on the water. He used his hands to paddle his way over to James who was the one he would reach fastest.

"James mate, wake up." Carefully Sirius tried to wake his sleeping friend. "Mhm," James said not waking up. After yet another five minutes Sirius began to wonder how long it would take before his friend woke up. A splash later he didn't have to wonder any longer.

James woke up with water surrounding him. It was everywhere. Beneath him he saw light. Under him there was darkness. He figured out that he liked light better. The first thing he did when he came to the surface was to take a deep breath.

He praised his parents for sending him to swimming classes when he was younger. James didn't remember much of that time, but he remembered that his reward for learning everything he had to learn was his beloved flute.

His mother and father had taken him to the music shop and told him that he could pick any instrument he wanted. The owner had showed him a lot of different instruments and the flute was the one which got his attention.

When he spotted a grinning Sirius he found the reason he had been under water first hand. "Why did you to that?"

"For fun?" Sirius couldn't place the tone in James' voice. "I could have drowned mate! Do you call that fun?"

"No of course not." Sirius hadn't thought about what could have happened if his friend had died. James swam to his madras and after a bit of struggle he was lying on it once again. "Why did you wake me Sirius? Did something happen? You didn't have a nightmare did you?" That moment Sirius began to wonder why he even woke up his friend.

"If you call the fact that we're in the middle of the lake nothing, then I have to agree with you. I had absolutely no good reason to wake you at all."

James kept quiet. It was too early in the morning to think about the meaning of what Sirius had told him. Too bad he was wet, if not he would have gone back to sleep for sure.

They got out of the lake. Luckily Sirius used his dog-instincts to swim. 'All animals can swim' he thought to himself. Humans are no exception!

He was happy he'd managed to get James up. Dam it! Why couldn't minors use magic outside school? This was an emergency, in Sirius' life at least. All the boys managed to get to the shore, and from there they watched the tent sink into the water.

"Dad's gonna kill me!" James cried upset. "No, he's not. He's too nice…" Sirius muttered. "But what do we do now? I don't even know where we are! The rain got our tent out in the river which took us…. where?"

Sirius started to walk in circles.

"Stop panicking, bloody pureblood-rich-townsboy!" James called. He'd realised the problem, but managed to stay calm. He needed Sirius to do so too.

Sirius became upset by James' words, but stopped and drew his breath. Regaining control.

"Where's the boy?" he suddenly asked.

They looked around. Both had been certain he'd been there just a minute before. They started to call for him, though it's hard to call properly for someone you don't even know what's called. "Why didn't we ask for his name again?" both boys said grumpily to the other.

-----------

After a couple of minutes "boy" came out of the forest with something that looked like a drowned cat. It was black all right, and wet, but it was a human, and he was alive.

"Regulus, what the hell are you doing here!?" Sirius called and ran over to his little brother.

"I was ordered to find you by Dad, but it started raining and blowing and I lost control over the broom and fell," he said.

"Should we tie him up like a hostage?" James asked. "We'll have to live like Indians from now. The tent gone and all…."

_**Right… So the last 400 words were written by Padfoot the almighty, but the 3000others were all sent by mail from Prongsie to me so I give Prongs all credit for this chapter.**_

_**We're just about to take a hike together to find out who "boy" is, so stay tuned…**_

_**With all due respect,**_

_**Messers Padfoot and Prongs.**_


	8. Saved?

**Prongs: PADFOOOOT!!!**

**Padfoot: hmm… sorry? I'm updating now, don't hate me…**

The boys were now left in the forest, a place so far from the cottage that "boy" didn't even know the way out. To make the matters worse Sirius was panicking.

"James, what do we do now? James, are you sure you don't know the way out? James! I thought you knew I haven't learned how to survive in the wild. James, could you at least say something instead of just standing there with your "I'm thinking"- expression? God James, talk! I don't want to die! Save-"

"SHUT UP, Sirius!"

James had never seen his friend this desperate before. The usually calm boy he knew had turned to look more like some of the people at his dads' parties freaking out because his dad wouldn't say yes to their work.

Still, James had never understood why his father brought these men to their house just so their front door would end up being slammed shut by more than one of their guests. When James listened to some of the desperate men he had had problems understanding what they said more than once. He could say he liked their happy drunk faces a bit better than the angry drunk door slammer.

"Sirius, have you lost your legs?" The question used a bit of time to reach Sirius' brain and when it finally was understood he couldn't think of it as anything but absurd, but to be sure his legs actually was attached to his body he looked down. He saw that they were in place. "Have you lost your sight James, can't you see that they are here?"

"Sirius, since you have confirmed that you are able to use your mouth I want you to stop using it and then use your legs, which I perfectly see are there, instead", Sirius looked confused, "we won't survive by standing still and we need to find a new camp... and some food."

* * *

They had been walking forever. At least by Sirius' walking forever scale. The forest was so silent, except themselves. No music was playing! This was probably the worst part for Sirius. He was extremely tired!

James was looking like he didn't have any control at all. Imagine a typical cartoon where people are lost in the woods and the leader is climbing trees, looking up from brushes and is… completely lost.

Regulus was just silent. He didn't want to talk to either of the mudblood lovers! He knew he needed their help to get out of here alive, though. Neither he nor Sirius had ever been to the forest before.

James suddenly made to a stop, so Sirius walked right into him. "Watch it!" Sirius called angrily. James was standing in a typical look-out position. Turning 360 degrease. "Where did 'Boy' go?" he suddenly asked.

" Is 'Boy' gone?" Sirius asked, desperately. He was tired, and no very much up for more drama. "I can't see 'Boy' anywhere!" James and Sirius was looking around. "Have you seen him Regulus?" James asked Regulus. He only shook his head.

"Boy!" James and Sirius both called as loud as they could.

"Damn it, Boy was such a great boy!"

"Boy!" They called once more.

"Excuse me, both of you," Regulus started "but his real name is John!"

* * *

Mr and Mrs Black were furious. Not only had Sirius lied to them. He was also nowhere to be found. At first they had decided to wait, but they were impatient people, who enjoyed order and structure more than anything else.

"What if he's run off with that bloodtraitor boy?" Mrs Black was imagining the worst.

"Regulus should have been back by now," Mr. Black thought out loud. "I think we'll have to apparate over to the Potter's place. We'll have to co-operate to find them."

* * *

"Got a good reason for talking the easy way out!" Sirius sang. He had no clue what the song was (Padfoot/N: Of course it's Day Tripper by the Beatles!), but he sang on it none the less. He started drumming against a tree.

James who knew the song sang the chords and the guitar parts, and drummed against his own tree. Suddenly it became quite cool.

Regulus looked at them, really horrified.

When the song was over Sirius was suddenly a lot more happy. "Come on!" He called "We need to find the end of this forest, and look for… John, was is?" Then he ran off, like a happy dog.

"It's been a hard day's night and I've been working like a dog", Sirius sang happily.

* * *

The dark was coming, and the Blacks had arrived at the Potters door. "We need to cooperate to find our sons," Mr. Black said to Mr. Potter. "A agree," Mr. Potter said, and took the hand that Mr. Black held out to him.

"We've owled every one of James friends, they're not there." Mrs. Potter was nearly crying.

"And our tent is gone. The one we used at the last Quidditch world cup!" Mr. Potter said. "Maybe they're out in the forest?"

"Oh, my poor Regulus!" Mrs. Black said. "What if he's with them too!?"

"Enough with the motherly sentimentality! We'll send out a search party."

"Owl whoever can help and find your broomsticks," Mr. Black said.

* * *

Meanwhile, out in the forest

"A hundred bottles of beer on the wall, a hundred bottles of beer," Sirius was singing, very slowly. He was now extremely tired, and his good mood from earlier was nearly gone. Regulus was in an even worse condition and James… he was leaning against a tree, deep in a good dream about cakes.

"James wake up!" Sirius called, "what's that!? A house!" Sirius's voice was really happy.

All three boys became much happier, and woke up a little. They forgot about their tiredness and quickened the tempo of their march.

"Isn't this Boy's, I mean John's house?" James asked as they came closer. "It looks like it! Maybe he's here!" Sirius said as they reached the door. James knocked, Regulus stood a little behind.

"What do you want!?" A tall man opened the door. He didn't look very friendly. "We're lost. And need some help finding our way back home," James began, very uncertain.

It looked like the man thought very hard for a couple of seconds. "It's probably gonna rain again soon. Come in and I'll explain!" They followed him into the house.

It was dark and unfriendly, with dust and spiders. None of the boys wanted to admit it, but spiders really creeped them out. "You guys don't look like typical campers," the man said, as he lit a candle. "You're very young too."

"We kinda didn't ask our parents," James told him. "Hmm. What's your names?" he asked them. "James Potter here," James said, "And this is Sirius and Regulus Black."

"Does… John live here, by the way?" He asked the man. "I don't know who this John is! But follow me, I think I have a map down in the basement somewhere." The man opened a door under the stairs and they followed him down a narrow stairway.

When all of them were downstairs he took his right arm up from his pocket and was suddenly pointing a wand at them. They reached down to get their own, but they were very soon disarmed.

"At first I was going to help you boys, though you look like wizards." The man began. "No purebloods would ever get lost in a forest. They'd never go camping the muggle way either! But when you told me your names I understood that you were purebloods of the worst sort!"

Regulus was, for the first time in many, many years, clinging desperately to his brother's arm.

James and Sirius was terrified. "Why difference is it that we're purebloods?" James asked boldly.

"I went to Hogwarts when I was a kid," the man said. "All the purebloods were bullying me because I was muggleborn in Slytherin. The Gryffindor didn't like me, and the ones from my own house didn't like me. Orion Black was probably the worst of all."

He then turned and walked out of the basement.

"What's he going to do?" James asked.

"What're we going to do?"

None of the boys had an answer to this.

* * *

Mr. Black and Mr. Potter were flying side by side over the forest. Mrs. Potter had contacted her brother and they were flying in the other direction.

"I can't see them!" Mr. Potter called to Mr. Black. "Me neither!" Orion called back against the wind and the rain. "They can't be outside in this weather, maybe they've found some shelter!?"

"What about that house?" Mr. Potter called back.

Mr. Black nodded and they started to descend down towards the house.

The two men knocked on the door, which swung up on its own. "Hallo?" Mr. Potter called. "Anybody home!? We're looking for our sons, have you seen some boys out in the forest lately?"

The door was suddenly shut close when a great lightening lightened the sky.

"Well. Well. Well. If it isn't Orion Black and Happy Potter?" Came a voice from the dark.

Potter and Black exchanged glances.

"Johnny Tilton is that you?" Mr. Potter asked, as both him and Mr. Black lit their wands.

* * *

"That voice," James called happily. "That's my dad!"

All three boys ran up to the basement door and tried to force it open. "It won't move an inch!" Sirius sighed. "Try harder," James said through clenched teeth.

Suddenly the door opened and the boys nearly fell on top of each other. "John!" Sirius called happily. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Glad to hear you say my name," Boy/John smiled. He gave them their wands, and asked them to be quiet.

* * *

The men fought quite a fight while we followed the boys in the basement. But unfortunately Johnny Tilton had the advantage. As soon as they lit their wands he used the "expelliarmus"-charm. They were both very quickly disarmed, and Mr. Potter ended up fighting with a magical rope on the floor.

"Vengeance is sweet!" The man, Johnny Tilton said as he pointed his wand directly between Mr. Black's eyes. "Expelliarmus!" Sirius called, and the wand flew out Mr. Tilton's hands. Just then Mrs. Potter, Mrs. Black, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and her husband, and the entire Potter family came through the door.

Johnny Tilton was very quickly dealt with and James' uncle, who worked in the Auror apartment of the ministry, took him away with him.

"James!" Mrs. Potter called and hugged her son.

Mrs. Black found Regulus, and started fixing his hair. "My dear boy, what have they done to you?" She asked. Sirius stood a little outside of it all, feeling a bit lonely.

Bellatrix Black decided to give him a big hug, which only made it worse.

"Come on, we're leaving!" Mr. Black said, grabbed Sirius' shoulder and pushed him outside.

* * *

And with this chapter the summer was soon over. Neither Sirius nor James were allowed to go on any adventures after this… camping trip. They even had to take a trip to St. Mungo, to be check for trauma and the great cold they'd all caught from all that cold rain and water.

And what happened to the Boy whose name was John? He was accepted at Hogwarts and sortet into Huflepuff.

**Well. I'm sooooooooo sorry everyone who's been waiting for Mr. Padfoot to finally finish her part. It's all my fault, and I'm sorry 'bout that! Well. It's finally the Autumn break here in Norway, so I suddenly had all the time in the world!!**

**I leave the house at half past 6 in the morning, and get home half past 5pm with the train, and after that there's all the homework in the world waiting for me!! And since I study music as well, I have to practise on all my instruments as homework too! At least there's no concerts until November!! **

**This chapter isn't very long, and for that I am sorry. This all came to me in a whim, after all of Prongsies attempts to make me update, and I decided that it was best just to post it!**

**So, please Review our story!**

**Until next time,**

**Padfoot and Prongs **


	9. Harmonicas out of Harmony?

**Paddy and Prongsie here. Long time now see. Sorry for that. **

**This chapter is called: Harmonicas out of Harmony? Enjoy an remember to review! (it's a great inspiration. If it's a positive one:P)**

It was 1st of September and Sirius was glad he had been allowed by his parents to attend Hogwarts again this year after James and his so called camping trip. His parents had been furious and he hadn't been allowed to go outside the house for the rest of the summer.

At the Potter house it had been a bit easier, sure, James hadn't been allowed to go out of the house for more than his instrument lessons and out in the backyard. Still it was more than Sirius had been able to do. The boys hadn't met after the incident.

Now they were both sitting in the same compartment, exiting about their third year at Hogwarts. Mr. and Mrs. Potter had gone to the place where the tent had disappeared, and got it up from the water together with the boys' brooms. Said brooms were now packed in their suitcases, ready to be used when they reached the school.

Sirius and James were now telling their story to Remus and Peter. From time to time Remus told hinted about facts they should have known about before they went on their trip and so on.

* * *

Earlier that day: What James saw made him really happy! I couldn't believe the fact that Lily Evans was going to sit in the same taxi as him. A few days before school began the Potter family had ordered a taxi to arrive at their house early in the morning on the 1st September.

The man answering their call had said, with a hint of deep confusion in his voice, that they had to share a car with another family, due to lots of orders around that time on that particular day. Peculiar!

Truth be told the muggles knew very little of the fact that there were a lot of witches and wizards going to school with a red train on the 1st September. The taxi had come to pick up the Potters first, then they went to get the other family.

Curious about what kind of family they were going to meet, James had stuck his head out of the window the whole way. He loved meeting new people!

They turned a corner and when James first saw who they were sharing the taxi with he was really surprised. In a positive way. For who would've thought that they were going to share a taxi with the Evans family?

James had recognised Lily's red hair the moment he saw her. He tried to keep his face still, so his parents wouldn't see the massive grin which wanted to spread on his face. Hopefully his parents hadn't noticed a change in behaviour.

There were seven seats in the car. One for the driver, three for James and his parents and the rest for Lily and her parents. Her sister had refused to come along to bid her sister farewell. She had more important things to do, like hanging out with her boyfriend.

James saw Lily making a face when she entered the car and saw him, he smiled to great her and offered her the seat next to him. Her parents soon entered and she ended up with only one choice. Sitting next to James.

Their parents began to speak to each other while the kids stared out of the window. (Padfoot/N: Did you guys know that the English word "window" is an old Norwegian word "Vindu" that the English adopted from the Norwegian Vikings?)

Though James couldn't resist to look at Lily every now and then (Padfoot/N: Here meaning: All the time!)

* * *

Sirius was sitting in a compartment together with Peter. He waited impatiently for James to get there. They were in the middle of a conversation about chess when they heard some noises coming from the hallway.

A minute later James winked to them from outside the compartment window. They could hear Lily Evans telling their friend that he owed her a chocolate frog, to which their friend stuck his tongue out and told her that it wasn't his fault and she wouldn't get any frigs from him.

James jumped on the train and went inside.

"Hello mates, long time now see!"

"Hello James!" said Peter simultaneously to Sirius saying: "What was all that abou?"

Not a minute later Remus showed up, smiling. He took a quick look on Sirius' face and turned to James. "Go on, tell your story now. I don't think Sirius can take it much longer."

Sirius nodded impatiently.

James told them about the taxi ride where he'd been sitting next to Lily.

When the three boys asked if anything had happened, James honestly said that he'd spent the entire time staring at Lily. This had really upset her for some reason.

"oh, and I refused to give her a chocolate frog," he added.

"Idiot. Is that a way to get girls?" Sirius snorted. "Amateur!"

Everybody laughed at James, and Remus managed to change the subject to Quidditch so that Sirius and James wouldn't start arguing.

Then, after a while, Lily knocked on the door. James opened the door with a delighted smile, but before he had the time to say anything Lily had lifted her wand and said: "Accio chocolate frog". She then gave James a victory smile and slammed the door in his face.

If Sirius hadn't been thinking so quickly, James would've run after her and wrestled with her until he got his frog back. Luckily he didn't get the chance to do that.

James was miserable. Lily Evans had yet again managed to take his last chocolate frog away from him and this time she would really have to pay for it.

Sirius sat down playing on his harmonica, but after a while everyone wanted to do something fun so they started playing exploding snap.

* * *

Later that night, when James lay down in his familiar bed he recalled a conversation he and Sirius had had on the train.

"You didn't get more punishment than that!"

James had told Sirius what his parents had told him after the more or less failed camping trip.

**Padfoot/Note: The Very failed camping trip! It was a disaster! I'll never understand those muggle things of doing stuff!**

**Prongs/N: Well, we learned something, right? **

**Padfoot/N: Learned something! I learnt that the muggle way of doing things is often very stupid, and unnecessary. **

**Prongs/N: Well, I learned that food don't just pop up on the table whenever I'm hungry.**

**Padfoot/N: Yeah, because you forgot to bring a house elf.**

**Prongs/N: I thought we were going just the two of us on that trip, that was the whole point of it, wasn't it? See if we could do things on our own.**

**Padfoot/N: ...**

When Sirius told what his parents had made him do.

"What! That is totally crazy. I can't believe you've turned out so well with those trolls as parents!" James hadn't been happy at all with his friend's punishment. They were children after all, not some teenager who had broken the law.

The rest of the day went as usual, and at the end of it all boys fell asleep momentarily, glad to be back at school.

* * *

When James came down for breakfast the next day and saw that Lily was already sitting at the table smiling and talking with some other girls he remembered meeting from the train the previous day.

He walked to the table and sat down in front of her. "You know you owe me a frog, don't you?" He looked at her when she turned her head, "You can go get one yourself. I'm not going out in a sump to get you one for you."

"I meant a chocolate frog, you understood that!" James began to fill his plate with eggs and bacon.

"How could I? You asked for a frog, I'm not psychic!" Before James was able to say another word Sirius showed the fork James was holding into James' mouth to shut him up. "Sorry, Lily, James don't have time to talk to you now, we have something to do before class starts. Eat James!"

Sirius, soon followed by Remus and Peter grabbed some food and began a competition to see who could finish their plates before the others. James joined them and his thought about Lily disappeared for a while.

When he finished right after Sirius, who had been the first one to finish (Padfoot/N: What can I say? I'm a fast eater if I want to) James asked about what they were going to do, but was told that it was a secret and that they couldn't talk about it with the whole school present.

Away from the rest of the school Sirius began to speak with a hushed voice. "Well, I thought since it's the start of a new school year and all, that we should get started planning our first prank. I've got a few ideas in mind, but neither of them are good enough to be the first one."

All of the boys began to think of new ideas, found out that they would colour the Slytherins brooms red and gold right before a Quidditch match (Padfoot/N: would be confusing right?), make Snape's hair so greasy it would even spill on the floor and a lot of other wonderful ideas.

The boys had to go to their first class now and it wasn't before they stood in the hallway thinking about which classroom they had to be going to they found out that they had left breakfast before getting their timetables.

They run as fast as they could to the Great Hall, when they arrived they found it empty. "Woah! We could make a prank here someday!" James commented before they run out of the room again and tried to find the rest of their class.

"Pity you don't have an antenna to where Lily are now James!" Sirius screamed while they run up the stairs.

"I know. I would Love to have one!"

"Let's run to the history of magic classroom and check. It's the closest one to here," Peter suggested.

All four boys laughed, when they arrived at the history of magic classroom, they stopped for a minute to catch their breath before knocking on the door. They opened the door when they heard a voice from inside, looked at the students sitting there, excused themselves and decided to run to McGonagalls' classroom.

They knew that she would know where to go and what to do. She always did.

To their surprise they saw the door open, and they ran inside without stopping to think first. All they found there was a cat sitting on the teachers' desk. "Professor, could you please tell us where our class is, as you know we haven't got our timetables so we don't know where to go."

Their teacher transformed right there in front of their eyes and handed them their timetables. After a quick look at them they looked around in the room and asked where the rest of the students were. According to what their timetables said they were in the right room.

"They're out on a little treasure hunt I planned for the lesson. Here's the map. And boys, try to come in time next time, you don't have much time left." Surprised they didn't get any punishment they read the map and found out that they were to find five different objects before the class was over. All these objects were transformed and they would also have to transform them back to their right form.

The boys began to walk in the hallways, their eyes wide open, looking for... well. Something. Their map showed five different hallways and they believed they would have to find something unusual in them.

When they reached the closest hallway they found some of their classmates there looking around desperately (Padfoot/N: and some had given up and waited for someone else to find the thing. You know the type). It didn't seem they had found what they were looking for yet.

Most students usually didn't walk around in the hallways the map shoved, but the four boys had been there many times before. When Sirius stood in front of a picture and turned to James to ask for some help to take it down, the others thought he collected a random object to show their professor.

Sirius, James, Remus and Peter hadn't asked the professor whether there were one object for each group, or just one object for the whole class, but that didn't matter now. They jogged to the next hallway.

By the time they reached their fifth and last stop they had collected two pictures, one shoe and a book. Now they were standing in an empty hallway, except the students who now, more desperate than ever were looking for an object. To James joy, Lily was among these students. He walked towards her and asked her what she was doing.

"I'm looking around for something I don't know what is. I suppose you should be doing the same."

"Yeah, under normal circumstances I would love to have a chat with you, but unfortunately I don't have time at the moment. I'll talk to you later."

With that James walked back to his friends. "Do you know what we should be looking for Sirius?"

Sirius looked at the floor, the walls and the ceiling. Then he looked back on the floor. "I think it should be something small and simple, like a needle," he whispered back.

Then all four boys began to act a childish game pretending they were cows eating grass. (Prongs/N: I have been pretending that I've been eating grass from the floor at home not so long time ago. Then I found out that I really miss being a child and being able to play all the time.)

(Padfoot/N: Normally I wouldn't lower myself to these standard and... Who am I kidding? I'm always in on Prongsies stupid ideas. It's usually a whole lot of fun)

That way their classmates wouldn't understand that they truly were looking for their last object. (Prongs/N: Ingenious right?)Suddenly Remus made a sound, still pretending to be a cow, telling the others that he had indeed found a needle.

They all stood up and said it was too bad they hadn't had the time to complete their mission, but that it now was time to go back to their classroom to transfigurate the objects they had back to their original form.

Professor McGonagall looked very pleased when she saw the boys coming back, each one carrying one object. She didn't see the needle Remus had in his pocket. James, being the best of the boys in transfiguration pointed his wand first at the pictures, then at the shoe and lastly the book. They had decided that they were going to wait with the needle until they had to show their professor what they had found.

Most of their classmates hadn't been able to find more than two or three different things, but Lily's group had found four.

McGonagall looked very pleased with the boys when she saw the things they had collected. They had, after all, not had as much time as the rest of their class. When they transformed the objects back to their right form, the pictures became a couple of leaves, the shoe turned into a frog (naturally making James think of chocolate frogs) and the book was actually a newspaper.

The professor made a move to leave the boys table when Remus stopped her. "Professor, there's one more thing I would like to show you." He put his hand in his pocket where he found the needle.

He took out his wand and soon the needle was gone, and changed into a candle lying there in its place. "Good job, Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew," their professor said before giving them ten points.

* * *

Sirius and James were playing a game of chess. They had just finished their homework (Prongs/N: yes, we are doing homework now and then) and had decided that they wanted to have some fun.

"James, look! Lily just walked in through the portrait!" Sirius said. James turned his head to see that Sirius had been right. "Check mate," James turned his head to see that he indeed was out of the game.

"How did this happen?" he wondered. He was sure that he had been on his way to win the game. "You cheated!" He told Sirius.

"What? I would never…" Sirius started.

"Why did you do it?" James asked.

Trying to stop the argument Remus told them that they could simply just start a new game, but this Sirius and James heard nothing of. When it was time to go down for dinner they still argued. There was a pause when they eat because they showed the food into their mouth so fast that they wouldn't be able to speak even if they wanted to.

**Padfoot/N: Actually competing to see who finished first. I won – as I always do in competitions against Prongs**

**Prongs/N: That's because you eat less on purpose, you moron. Always Cheating!**

**Padfoot/N: Am not!**

**Prongs/N: Are too!**

As soon as they got up they began to argue again. They hadn't come very far before they took out their wands and began to throw spells on each other. When they reached the third floor, they stopped walking and seriously began their spell fight.

Being as unlucky he was with these boys Snape was on his way down the hall when he was hit by a spell from Sirius. Thinking this was a spell meant for him Snape shortly became a part of the fight. With James doing pirouettes in the middle with Sirius and Snape on each side of him, the fight looked different from most fights. There were three against three and both Sirius and Snape saw the two others they fought. James had to turn around all the time to be able to see.

They had been fighting for a while when James suddenly passed out and fell to the floor. Hit simultaneously with two spells from both Sirius and Snape.

"Oops," Sirius and Snape said. Before looking at each other.

For some reason they both went over to him to see how it went, and they found out that he was indeed unconscious. As if they followed a script they both took James arm on each side and carried him up to the hospital wing. Thought, they continued their fight as they walked, this time with words.

Saying things like: "This is your fault!" to each other.

Inside the hospital wing Madam Pomfrey helped the boys as they laid James down on an empty bed. She then said that neither of them were to leave the wing. A few hours later Snape left the wing together with Sirius. Not wanting to spend even more time in the hospital wing they left each other at the first opportunity.

The next morning James walked down for breakfast and knew little of what the day would bring. He ate in silence since he still didn't talk to Sirius. His so called friend had left him before he even woke up so they hadn't had time to make up. Not that James was in the mood to be social at the time.

Remus, who usually was the one to make Sirius and James make up and who would be the one to do it this time also if it hadn't been for the approaching full moon. He was turning paler by the day. This made Peter the remaining person to keep Sirius and James civil.

All Peter knew that morning was that he was going to have some great trouble getting his friends to talk together, and he knew that this was a job he would have to do alone since Remus seemed sicker than he had ever seen him before.

James sat down at the table close to Lily. She was the only person he would talk to at the moment, even thought he knew she probably didn't want to. And he was right. Whenever he tried to speak to her she turned her head away from him and began to talk to the person sitting next to her.

(Padfoot/N: Damn. That's cruel! Hang in there Prongsie! Right... I'm not supposed to talk to you...)

Still, at the moment he was just glad that she hadn't changed seat, now he would be able to just look at her closely and he didn't mind that.

At the other end of the table Sirius was sitting together with Peter and Remus. Peter tried what he could to make Sirius go over to where James sat and talk to him, but Sirius refused, saying that it was James who should make the first move.

When James walked away from the table Peter followed him and tried to talk to him. The two boys hadn't walked for long before they were attacked by Slytherins, Snape was among them. But luckily a teacher walked past them and stopped them before they started to fight. James and Peter didn't know that their hair had turned green.

It wasn't before the middle of the class that Remus told Peter and James that their hair was green. At first he had though, like most of the class, that they did it on purpose. But if he thought about it, he found out that he should've been able to understand it. Who in Gryffindor would have turned their own hair green?

James obviously didn't get too happy about the news and when Sirius said: "I thought you of all would have noticed since you usually look at yourself in the mirror about five times after breakfast," he sure didn't get much happier. But this way he knew what he was going to do later that day, he hadn't known until that moment.

Sirius knew he was in an argument with James, but they were both Gryffindors and he took the prank from the Slytherins as a personal matter as a Gryffindor, not as a friend of James and Peter. He figured that the best thing to do as a Gryffindor was to come up with an idea and make a better prank on their enemies.

James and Peter were sitting in the common room thinking about what to do to the Slytherins. While they were thinking a girl came in the portrait carrying a lot of balloons. James looked at them and an idea was set. He would use water balloons as revenge.

Sirius, being seated at the opposite side of the room, came up with the exact same idea. The difference being that he would use water guns.

**Prongs/N: I know, not the most original idea I could have made up. And thinking of the so called "terror day" when the RUSS (third years, upper secondary school, who's graduating this year) aim for the first years with lots of water, right Paddy?**

**Padfoot/N: I didn't get wet at all on that day! Everyone loves and respects me:P I liked the idea. It's nice and simple! Good plan. It's approved**

When he was thinking about how to corner the Slytherins James heard Sirius shout for Peter. Peter who wouldn't take sides walked over after telling James that he would be right back. At this moment James couldn't care less (Wormtail/N: HEY!), he was too occupied with the idea he had just had.

The person on the other side of the room hadn't really had a reason to call Peter over; he just didn't want his friend to take sides with James. After all, he was the one who would be bullied the most by the enemy if he got caught by them. With this opportunity Peter started to talk to Sirius about making up with James. Sirius just ignored him.

After dinner James smiled to himself, a very evil smile to be him, a smile that showed the rest of the school that they shouldn't be outside their common rooms, so most of them began to hurry back as fast as they possibly could.

All of the teachers had left the room when James started his prank. The first thing he did was to glue all of the remaining Slytherins to their chair using a simple spell; he didn't know that Sirius helped him with this unwillingly. He had already filled the balloons with water and hung them up under the roof; no one usually looked up at the ceiling they were too used with the sigh.

Sirius on the other hand had found great help in the Gryffindor house so most of the table had been waiting there together with him. Some had stood up and walked away when they had seen James' smile, but most had stayed.

Sirius counted to three, and soon they had all found a water gun each, except James, who hadn't known about this idea. He on the other hand had dropped all of his balloons and started to run towards the door when he had heard Sirius shout. He had turned around to see the already wet students sitting there, unable to stand up and sprayed with water.

The only son of the Potters then ran out of the room and up to his dorm before the teachers would return. Sirius ran the same way as James, but his gang ran outside pretending they had had a water fight outside all along. It was easier to pretend they didn't have anything to do with it when they didn't have James or Sirius among them.

The door had just closed behind James when he heard it open and heard Sirius enter. "You just had to steal my idea right!" Sirius shouted.

"I didn't steal anyone's idea! And by the way, I was the one to do it first!"

"But I had planned it for longer than you did and I was the one to glue them to their benches!"

"You're wrong. I was the one to glue them to their benches. I was the one who first came up with the idea! And I was the one who had a perfectly good reason to prank them!"

"Just to tell you, I didn't take revenge on your behalf; I did it for my house!"

"So you don't even care about your friends?" James was furious. He could not believe that Sirius would steal his idea. That had never happened before.

"We're not friends, if you don't remember, were in the middle of an argument!"

(Prongs/N: Trust Padfoot to be the only one who calls an intense fight and argument. I passed out yesterday!)

James slipped the covers around his bed and ignored what Sirius had said. He knew that if he continued arguing with Sirius he would end up saying some pretty bad things he would regret later. He didn't want them to end their friendship so easily. Peter entered the room and they knew they wouldn't be able to talk more that night.

* * *

Nothing happened until after lunch the next day. With nothing I mean nothing. Sirius and James hadn't talked at all, mainly ignoring each other.

Peter and Remus had talked and Remus had told Peter that he had to go visiting one of his sick aunts soon, meaning that he wouldn't be able to help Peter out with the James/Sirius problem they were now facing. Peter didn't think much of it, since he was used to the fact that Remus left the school every now and then.

Sirius was sitting on the roof of the astronomy tower playing the harmonica (Padfoot/N: From my Uncle Alfred. He gave it to me during my lonely days in the Summer Holidays) Feeling lonely and misserable. He was playing John Lennons imagine.

But after lunch times without happenings were over:

James had taken a walk outside in the sun thinking it might help his mood a little. He had a free period since the teacher had caught the wizard flue. (They still hadn't found an elixir you would get well of; they had just found something to make it a bit lighter, so whoever caught it wouldn't be able to concentrate too much the next week.)

Not concentrating and being a teacher didn't fit too well together so they had gotten a free period instead. James was happy that he wouldn't need to see the Slytherins in class.

Outside he felt the wind in his hair and regretted not bringing his broom out so he could fly. Instead he began to jog, letting some of his energy be used. He jogged alongside the lake.

After about fifteen minutes he saw something red orange and familiar. Having seen this hair every day for the last two years and not getting bored of it, he decided he would jog to the owner. Soon he stopped at the most shocking sight he had seen. Lily Evans, his Lily, was sitting there with a snail of a human, Snape.

"Evans! What the hell are you doing?"

"Potter, haven't I told you to let me do as I please and not bother?" Lily asked in return, not answering his question.

"If you have said so, I don't remember. But what are you and Snape doing together? You know he is the enemy, right?" He stepped closer to her. If Snape had been the one to drag her there, James would gladly protect her. No, he would protect her no matter what.

"I'm talking to a friend, all right?" Lily stood up and walked away. James walked after her, questioning her about her friendship with Snape. She didn't answer him at all.

**Prongs: Why am I the only one writing? Why am I almost the only one coming up with ideas of what to write? And why don't I even remember how to write the easiest words? I have learned "confused" instead of "comfused" but most other word I don't remember any longer. Paddy...**

**Padfoot: It's all right Prongsie. I'll write a lot now that school's almost over. And you promised me a Band chapter. I'm so going to write that!**

That evening James had to come up with yet a new idea. He found out that it wasn't so easy without Sirius around, since they usually would come up with ideas and then the other would tell whether the idea was good, or plain out stupid. Peter wasn't of much help either; he walked between him and Sirius the whole evening, trying to make them talk together again. They both ignored him.

In the end James ended up going outside (using his invisibility cloak) and lay down in the grass playing on his harmonica that his father had given him some weeks after the failed tent trip.

Sirius didn't know about what James had seen by the lake, if he had heard about it he would've been sitting together with James and talked about some brilliant ideas he had come up with. But now he was sitting there trying to come up with new ideas for what he could do about the Slytherins, his old ideas had been made especially for Snape.

He knew that they would eventually make a prank on them, so he wanted to be ready. Being in a conflict with James, he also had to find pranks he could do to his "former" friend.

When Peter came over to James for the fifth time that evening, James wouldn't let him sit there and try to be Remus again. "You know what, Peter?"

"No?"

"I think I'll take a walk now, so if you want to come with me, go get your cloak. If you want to be inside, then talk to you other friend." With that James stood up and crawled out of the portrait. He had no idea where he was going, but he thought he would need some fresh air. The clouds on the sky were dark, and the air was heavy, but it didn't rain. He found this weather comfortable.

He pulled out his old (inherited) harmonica and played Let it Be by Paul McCartney. It only made him think of Sirius, so he had to stop. James used all his force and threw the harmonica out into the pond.

He hated arguing with Sirius. Hated it. And it had all started because Sirius cheated while playing cards. After standing there staring at the place where he'd dropped his harmonica he pulled out his wand and said: "accio". He did love his harmonica after all. Just as he did love Sirius as a brother after all.

He decided that the only thing for it was to go to the room of requirement and play some piano. Always cleared his mind.

* * *

Someone else had thought of this first though. Sirius had found his favourite requirement-room. It was a cosy library with good reading chairs and, most importantly, a grand piano in it. Right now he was playing a song he'd heard on a muggle radio once.

"Let it be, let it be, whisper words of wisdom, let it be"

Sirius sang while playing the chords.

"You playing The Beatles, eh?" someone behind him asked.

**Padfoot/N: I'm sorry if you don't agree but personally I think the Beatles are so awesome that they can't simply be plain muggles! Therefore Sirius knows who they are because they're actually wizards, and playing on both the muggle and wizard market.**

"What are you doing here!" Sirius turned to James and said.

"I know we're not talking, but whatever I'm going to do you're thinking of doing the same. Like with the Slytherins and like now," James sighed. "We're just so similar. Just as stubborn at least. Sirius, you're my best mate and I hate arguing with you."

Sirius looked down and continued to play a couple of chords. He stopped and looked at James again.

"Did you know that since The Beatles broke up Paul and John are writing songs criticizing each other? They're really not speaking at all. I just don't want us to end up like that." Sirius said.

"Yeah. I don't want that either," James said. "Friends?"

"Friends!"

They shook hands and hugged (A/N: You know. The way boys hug. Very manly:P). Then proceeded to play duets on the piano.

**Padfoot: Thanks to Prongsie who's written 90% of this chapter. I'm going get a comeback in the next chapter though. Sorry about The Beatles, but I love them so much!**

**We're actually going to manage to post soon. I don't have another Maths lesson in my life! (Doing the happy dance!) so I have more time to write. At least for now.**

**Please Review!**

**Love,**

**Prongs & Padfoot**


	10. The Band

**Prongs: Yay, I'll take this chance and start the chapter!**

**Padfoot: No offence mate, but I was the one who started the chapter!**

**Prongs: (Padfoot/N: totally ignoring me) Honestly I am sooo surprised. Mr. Padfoot has actually written the first page here! By the way, a cat came a few steps into our living room earlier today. I don't know that cat at all and have only seen it once before. When I saw it I thought about how to get it out. I said: "out!" to it and it followed my order. OK, here you go, a new chapter!**

**(And I'm not the one to write it all****)**

**Padfoot: At least you wasn't until you flew off the handle writing like 7 pages! Siriusly!**

Now that Sirius and James were friends again everything was much easier. And James could finally talk about his girl problems. Or in other words: Lily Evans. He decided that the best time doing that was in the middle of the night. Around 3 am. He would have to wake Sirius up.

"Sirius?" he whispered. "Sirius!"

"I'm sleeping…" Sirius muttered.

"Sirius!"

"Yes?" said a grumpy, sleepy Sirius from his bed. (Padfoot/N: Sorry me, but even I need some sleep and being woken up in the middle of the night is not cool.)

"I need a new strategy to get Lily," James told him while biting his lips. No boys like to admit a defeat.

"I know," Sirius sighed. "And?"

"Can you help me out, mate?" James asked, knowing that Sirius waited for him to ask straight out.

"So you've finally realised that blaming people for taking your chocolate frogs doesn't work when hitting on girls?" Sirius mocked. "All right, I'll help you" Sirius sat up, yawned and drew a hand through his perfect black hair.

"You need to practise on other girls to learn what to do and what to say."

"But won't that be unfaithful to Lily?" James asked suspiciously.

"You're not together with her anyway. And it might make her jealous," Sirius said.

"Hmm. I see your point. Any ideas on how to get all the girls love me?"

"As a matter of fact... yes" Sirius said. "I feel like it's about time to learn a new instrument. And since I'm in a Beatles mood I'm thinking we should make a band and cover them."

"Nice!" James called out. "And we could get Remus and Peter to play too. It'd be fun! Maybe we could play at the Yule ball?"

"We need someone to teach us to play guitar though," Sirius muttered

"Not to mention we need guitars!" James added.

"Hey! Keep it down over there, it's 3:15 am for crying out loud!" Remus complained loudly from the other side of the room. He had come back from his short leave.

"Sorry! We'll keep it down," James whispered. Sirius was already asleep again, curled up like a dog.

* * *

The first thing James did the next morning at breakfast was to ask Lily out.

Easily said, he had forgotten all about his chat together with Sirius that night. How could he possibly know the content of a conversation he had had together with his friend late at night when he was supposed to be sleeping? James was after all the one of the two friends who needed to sleep the longest.

(Padfoot/N: Oh, the irony! The one that wakes me up at 3 bloody am is the one that forget the whole conversation and need the most sleep! Seriously Prongs! Something you can be a real pain!)

Sirius on the other hand remembered their conversation and after they had eaten he told James what he could recall. "Seriously? I said that?" James wondered.

"Yup. And I've started thinking of a plan to get you a girl, I'll tell you in the evening."

* * *

You might think it was something wrong with Sirius that evening, he completely forgot about the chat he had said he was going to have with James. James gladly forgot about it too. There was a note on the note board distracting Sirius' plans.

From the note he read when the Quidditch tryouts would be held. It was important for both of them to make the team. Not just for the image, but also because Quidditch was an amazing, challenging and fun sport.

There was a week until the tryouts so Sirius and James decided that they would practise all they could so they could be a part of the team. Outside they found their brooms, and they were a little shaky.

Their brooms had after all had quite an adventure during the summer. Usually brooms didn't get a bath, but these brooms had. Not only had they gotten a bath, they had also been on the bottom of a lake deep in the mud. Now they were truly in their right element, in the air.

The brooms stabilised after a while, letting James and Sirius be relieved and really start to fly. They competed for about half an hour before Remus came to the pitch and stopped them.

**Prongs: Guess who won the most!**

**Padfoot: Don't rub it in! Besides... we both know I'm the best motorcycle flyer there is!**

**Prongs: Well... you're the only motorcycle flyer there is! Not too much competition there**

"OY! JAMES, SIRIUS, DINNEER!"

James landed first on the ground with a huge grin on his face. "I can't believe how much I missed flying. And I didn't even notice before I was up in the air."

"Me neither, how strange." Sirius replayed.

Peter was already eating when they got inside the Great Hall. He had saved a seat for each of them so they could sit and talk. They didn't have a competition this time, but they ate their food in a hurry so they could walk up to the common room as fast as possible.

They hadn't more than stepped out of the door of the Great Hall when they heard a voice shout their names. Well, only Sirius and James' names.

"Hello John. This is our friend Remus and this is our other friend Peter." James said pointing as he said the names. "This is John, the boy we met in the forest during the summer."

"Nice to meet you, I didn't get to hear a lot about you in the forest. As I assume James and Sirius have told you, we were quite occupied with the fact that we were trying to find our way out."

"Nice to meet you too John, I'm Remus Lup..."

"Ethan! Come greet my friends from the forest!" John interrupted Remus when this tall and broad build fourth year Gryffindor came out of the Great Hall. "Boys, this is my brother Ethan."

James and Sirius looked at the tall boy. They both knew that he was one of the members of the Quidditch team. They had also seen him play the guitar at several occasions in the common room. From what the four friends knew Ethan was quite the hit among girls as they loved a man who played the guitar.

(Padfoot/N: Girls love musicians right? Or... maybe they don't love the musician himself but the music. Or.. vise versa.)

"James," Sirius whispered, "why don't we get Ethan to teach us the guitar?" Sirius and James smiled to each other before turning their attention to Ethan and John again.

"You're the one with all the girls surrounding you, aren't you?" Peter asked.

Ethan nodded as to say Peter was correct. Laughing at the younger students remark.

(Peter/N: In a good way :D)

A few friends of Ethan then came out the Great Hall and they had to stop their conversation. James and Sirius knew there weren't going to be a long time before their next talk, so they didn't mind.

John also walked away to his common room. He said he had some left over homework to do.

* * *

Slytherins. James detested the word. No, he didn't detest it. He hated it. James didn't hate the word in itself, just what it stood for. All right. Maybe he did hate the rod in itself too.

And now he was seeing a large sign with this word on hanging over his head. James really hated that word!

Sirius was lying beside James. He had always hated the word hanging over their heads, now he hated it more than he had ever done. Still Sirius perfectly understood why he had such a large hatred for the word.

The Slytherins, and it was actually most of them, had somehow snuck up behind the Gryffindors, glued them to the ground (Prongs/N: You see, they didn't have any good ideas for themselves.) and hung a sign with their house name on it over the heads of the Gryffindors, they sure knew how to torture.

**Prongs: Well, let's just say that it's the end of a school year and that I don't have much creativity left, shall we? **

**Padfoot: Holidays are amazing! One can just lie around doing random stuff. Singing and playing the piano. And most importantly: Sleep! **

**Prongs: Sleeeeep... I like it!**

A week had gone and the Gryffindors hadn't done anything to the Slytherins. For every day that passed they looked more scared.

Why wouldn't they?

They knew the Gryffindors would get back at them sometime soon, and they were afraid of what the Gryffindors could have in mind that would take so long time to organise.

The Gryffindors obviously had a lot of fun with this. Even the first years managed to scare a bunch of fifth years Slytherins one point. Sirius, James, Remus and Peter didn't get to hear about this right after it happened, so when they did hear of it they heard all kinds of stories.

In one of them there was a troll even so they figured they wouldn't be able to hear what really happened. The Slytherins wouldn't tell them either. How did they know this? Who would tell a huge part of the enemy about how you lost to someone four years younger than you and a part of the enemy, when you were fifteen?

**Paddy/N: Right, right. Embarrassing!**

The time for the Quidditch tryouts were there and with that the reason why Gryffindor hadn't been after the Slytherins just yet came out.

The Gryffindor house had lost some of their best troublemakers due to the simple fact that they were out on the Quidditch pitch all day long and when they came back to the common room they were so tired that they fell asleep almost immediately.

**Paddy: Sleep! I'm nearly asleep now**

**Prongs: Zzzzzz**

**Padfoot: At least I don't get so grumpy when I'm tired:)**

**Prongs: HEY! I don't get grumpy when I'm tired!**

James and Sirius had practised since they saw the notice, thinking that with some good long training days they would have a better chance on getting on the team.

This was something they really burned for and honestly wanted to do more than pranks (if that's even possible). The rest of the Gryffindor house had taken the hint and therefore they just waited till the boys would be finished with tryouts to get to them and ask them what they were going to do about the Slytherins.

Now, down on the Quidditch pitch, a group of hopeful young students stood waiting for the Quidditch captain to come out from the locker room.

**Prongs/N: I have to say that the word: "Quidditch", it's a word I don't even remember how to write. It is so hard to spell. I like the Norwegian version of the word: "rumpeldunk", why? We spell it the same way as it is spoken**

**Padfoot/N: The Brits do too you know. Kinda... Well. It does make sense to me at least.**

**Prongs/N: That's lucky for me, since you're the one editing this chapter:D**

**Padfoot/N: Sigh!**

There were also some older students there, most of them had been on the team before and wanted to give it a new shot and see if they would be lucky again this year.

Our friends and dear troublemakers stood on the pitch as well with a broom in their hand and ready to fly. When the captain came out they stood behind to elder boys and screamed like a couple of fan girls.

**Prongs/N: Only to make fun of those boys of course**

When the rest of the students heard it they turned to the two boys, but James and Sirius had already taken a few steps to the side and looked at the boys the same way as the rest. The boys got embarrassed, and both blushed as they found out that they couldn't come up with a good explanation to make them innocent of the screams. A few meters away Sirius and James high fived.

A person cleared his throat behind them and they turned to see who it was. Johns' big brother stood there behind them, he also carrying a broom. "I saw what you just did. Fancy I tell the others?"

"Nah, you see, the others know deep in their hearts that we did it. They just don't want to say it loud since they all know it." James answered quickly getting a smile from Sirius. Ethan shook his head and turned his attention to the Quidditch captain who had started speaking.

"... and I know that the many of you've got the qualification I seek, but I will only pick the best of you based on your performance today. So, I hope you will all give it your best shot. Good luck everyone!"

With that he started sorting them out in groups according to what position they wanted. James stood together with the Chasers. Sirius on the other hand figured out that to have the best chance he could get to be on the team he would try out all positions.

**Padfoot: What! I'm just being practical. Besides. Prongsie is a born genius when it comes to flying. You should be worried about me!**

**Prongs: Stop the act Paddy. Your fake modesty is making me sick...**

**Paddy: Hey! I'm flattering you here! Be happy!**

When the captain heard this he told Sirius to stand together with the group he would fit best in. Head bent and with an act of a little puppy Sirius walked over to James where James tapped his head and told him everything was going to be all right. Two minutes later Sirius smiled again and looked up in the sky at the students trying out for the Seeker position.

"You know what James?" Sirius asked while the "seekers" had a hard time catching the golf balls the captain threw up in the air wherever he could.

"No, what it is mate?"

"I could be up there you know. Having fun playing with the others and catching those muggle -things." James laughed at his friend, but he couldn't say that he wasn't jealous of the students in the air. He would've rather been up there than on the ground.

"Chasers, you're up next!" The captain flew towards them.

He landed and looked at the group of hopeful students. "I will now let three and three of you act as a team, two teams playing at the same time."

The captain divided them into teams. Seeing as they'd probably rot themselves together with their friends making teams of just girls or just 6 former. He reckoned it'd be a bit unfair.

James ended up together with one of the girls and a fifth year. Sirius ended up with a fourth and sixth year. When the captain told them to play against each other Sirius and James could see the looks on the other students' faces. It looked as if they thought Sirius and James would play as if they were a team. In truth they both took this opportunity to play wilder, they weren't afraid of hurting the other.

**Prongs: I'll kick your sorry arse mate!**

**Padfoot: Let's see you try then!**

**Prongs: It's on!**

James took the Quaffle almost at once and sped up to the goals passing it to his tryout team members. The fifth year old was quite good, but the girl slipped the Quaffle almost every time she got it thought she was very good at throwing it to the right person avoiding their opponents. The girl threw James the Quaffle and he scored.

Sirius' team was also a part of the match, but they weren't able to catch James all the time.

He was their greatest opponent. The sixth year on Sirius' team had been on the Quidditch team before so he naturally knew some good moves, which he also used. Still James was able to counter the sixth year almost every time.

At one point Sirius lounged himself in a breathtaking dive to get rid of James who was at his tail, but James followed. Everyone on ground that was watching gasped in fear, but both boys managed to pull the dive off just in time. Sirius passing the quaffle to the sixth grader as he did so.

The students flying high above the ground were able to hear those on the ground fairly well when Sirius and James started to really show off their skills. When they did so the only one able to fly with them was the sixth former.

**(Padfoot/N: Just a sidenote. Here Prongsie had written sixth year old:D I'm sorry for laughing of you, mate, and I know you were just focused and all but I thought it was funny!)**

Being on a team James knew better than to let his teammates stand in his shadow so he sent the Quaffle to them often. This also helped his play and this way he wasn't the only one playing against Sirius and the sixth year old.

Sirius also let the fourth grader be a part of the game, thought he sometimes forgot that there were other playing on the pitch but him and James. There were too soon called down to the ground. Sure they wanted to play more, but they knew that orders from the captain were law on the pitch so they did as they were told.

"Well played!" James told his "team" before walking over to Sirius who had also just told his "team" the exact same words.

"I hope I played well..." James said mainly to himself.

"Yeah, me too," Sirius answered, he too also in a daze.

Before they were able to say a word more they heard the other Gryffindors gasp. There were a lot of green and silver coloured figures coming their way. Since they hadn't gotten back on the previous prank the Slytherins had pulled on them, neither of the students understood why a bunch of Slytherins came nearer and nearer by the second.

"My dear snakes! I have volunteered for the job as a speaker now, and I am asking you this for all of us: What are you doing here?" James said with a speakers' voice and pretended to hold a microphone.

**Prongs: I know you don't know what it is, a microphone that is. But it a thing that makes others hear what the person with the microphone turned against them says better. Like the sonorous charm, only not as loud.**

**Padfoot: I have no clues as to how you know all these muggle things, but it sure can be practical!**

"Oh, shut it will you Potter! We're here because your house has been acting in a disrespectful manner to our house."

"You're the one to talk about respect? I have never seen any of the sorts from your house toward my own, so I do not intend to do so to your house." James was angry now." I don't respect muggle haters!"

"You and your friends are just a bunch of mudblood lovers and blood traitors!"

Sirius drew his wand before any of the Slytherins and with that move the fight was on. Curses flew everywhere and no one got out it without being hit less than a few times. Ethan and Sirius fought side by side when Sirius got an idea. It wasn't the best time to come up with this sort of idea, but he couldn't help it.

"Ethan, do you know anyone who plays the guitar?" Sirius shouted.

The older boy looked shocked for a moment, but being in a fight he soon got out of it. "What kind of question is that? Are even paying attention to what is happening here and now?" Ethan asked back.

Sirius chose to ignore the question and shot a spell at the Slytherin he fought. "We're having the most friendly chat I can have with my family!" He joked.

"What?" Ethan avoided a spell and countered with another before Sirius could answer.

"Never mind, you didn't reply to my question!"

"I know how to play the guitar!" Ethan said.

He had been looking at Sirius for a moment, a moment too long. He was hit by a spell and landed on the ground. Sirius spelled the Slytherin he was fighting and took the Slytherins wand. He then moved to the huge Slytherin Ethan had been fighting.

"Can you teach us, me and my mates I mean?" Sirius asked still fighting.

"Only if you stop this fight now, us winning!"

Three minutes later Sirius had, with great help from his house, won over the Slytherins.

The next morning both Sirius and James wrote a letter to their parents. They both told their parents that they wanted to learn to play a new instrument and that there was this student as school who would help them.

Sirius wrote in his letter that he hadn't told James about this and that he didn't intend to tell his friend ether. He wrote that he wanted an instrument for his own. James told his parents that he and Sirius wanted to start a band and that he needed a more popular and suited instrument to do so.

**Padfoot/N: Your idea of writing a little bit is... well. A bit twisted. You wrote 7 pages! I was thinking more along the lines of you writing the "middle eights" (musical stuff, meaning the middle part) since you wrote the last chappy nearly on your own!**

**Prongs/N: Sorry! Quidditch is my thing and I was a bit... er... caught in the moment!**

* * *

That very evening Sirius got a reply letter. Or to be precise a reply howler!

"A guitar! You think we'll buy you a guitar after what Regulus has told us about your pranks and fights at school? Your father and I are very disappointed in you, boy! But! Since music is an important part of your education we've decided that as long as you apologise to Regulus you can have your guitar" the voice of his mother was yelling loudly.

"I want him to write to me telling you it's done. We also expect you home in the next holidays too. I'm very disappointed in you!" the letter said and self-destructed.

"I'm very disappointed in you!" Sirius mocked. "Seriously! I'll have to find Reg. See you James."

James just nodded. He loved having a proper, understanding family!

* * *

Sirius had officially apologised to Regulus and the fresh new guitars were in their hands. James stared at his in awe.

"We actually need a bass too," Sirius muttered.

"I don't want to play bass, let Peter do it," James told him as he admired is guitar.

"It's all right I'll do it. Maybe my Uncle, you know the one I still can talk to, can help..." Sirius trailed off. "He probably will," he smiled and sent a new letter.

As it turned out Peter Pettigrew turned out to be an excellent drummer. He'd taken lessons when he was younger. Remus also knew the guitar a bit, though not well enough to teach. So James and Sirius scheduled a meeting with Ethan.

* * *

They met in the empty Charms classroom right after dinner that evening.

"Hi, Ethan!" James said simultaneously as Sirius said his:

"Hello, Ethan!"

"Cheers, kids," Ethan said jokingly, "I think you should learn some basic chords, liked C, D, G and A, A7, D7, E, H7, h minor..."

"Ethan!" the younger boys yelled together. "Just start showing us the chords already we lost you at G".

Ethan laughed. "Sorry..."

Ethan held out his guitar. "Ok, so to play a D major you hold your first finger like this" he showed them, "and the two other ones like this" and showed them. "You start the chord from this string and just play it."

They tried. Both of them managed a decent sound.

"Nice!" Ethan said and gave them a thumbs-up. "Right, moving on..."

And so the three of them sat for hours working on remembering the different chords. It was close to midnight when they finished and had to sneak back to their common room. Almost caught by various teachers still wandering around looking for mischievous students.

* * *

The next day the four boys, who would later be known as the Marauders, met up in the room of requirement. The room provided for a grand piano, drums, guitars and all they needed. And a section of music chords, tabs and sheets music.

**Padfoot: Yeah, I know, to think we went off the handle to get the guitars and all when they were already in the requirement room, but the thing is we did need guitars anyways to play other places. Like... a ball for example. **

Sirius picked up the bass. He'd been up all night practising on it in the common room, but James had gone to sleep. He did need a lot of sleep to function after all. (Prongs/N: Who can blame me? We're starting to grow, needing more food and more sleep!)

"Any songs we should start off with?" Remus asked.

"I've always liked Norwegian Wood," James suggested.

Sirius ran over to find the guitar tabs." D, D (with a C sharp), D, C, G, D. This goes over and changes to d minor and G. Then goes back. Sounded simple enough. Let's try it"

The boys started out. Needless to say it wasn't perfect. But they didn't give up. It got better and better. They tried out other songs: Hey Jude, Let it Be (Sirius on the piano), Across The Universe, Love me Do, where Sirius and James changed amongst them to sing the lead and the harmonies.

They also did a version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps where Remus got to sing.

"This is starting to sound quite all right," James grinned.

Before knowing it they'd played past lunch and it was only an hour to dinner.

"I'm hungry!" both Peter and James complained simultaneously as they put down their instrument and went to lie down on the floor (which was conveniently covered with pillows in one of the corners).

"We should perform at the Yule ball," Sirius stated very seriously. "Play Love Me Do, Please Please Me, Let Me Hold Your Hand, Can't Buy Me Love and other of those early 60 dance songs. And some of the more slow-tempo we've been working on today."

All of them thought it was a brilliant idea!

**Thanks for all the reviews we receive! But we really hope for more, so please Review! Just takes a few seconds of your time and can be Very inspiring for us :)**


	11. The Song Battle

The songs written by Beatles or ex-Beatles do Not belong to us! Everything belongs to them (or rather the evil business people that own the rights to their songs)

_**The Song Battle**_

The boys were sitting around drinking butter beer.

"We need a name!" James said looking at the other boys for a few seconds.

"How about The Quarrymen?" Sirius asked. "Or Sirius and The Moondogs? The Silver Beetles?"

"How original of you, Sirius," Remus said sarcastically. Growing up with The Beatles they all knew the history and background of the names Sirius suggested. John Lennon had invented all of them.

"How about The Marauders?" James suddenly suggested. He'd been lying around, looking up at the ceiling. Not paying attention to Sirius and Remus laughing and joking.

"The Marauders?" Sirius tasted the word in his mouth. "I like it," he said.

"Me too! It's clever!" Peter agreed.

"It's decided then!" Remus announced. "Let's drink to The Marauders!"

They all lifted their butter beer: "The Marauders!"

* * *

The band practised and practised becoming better and better by the hour. They felt very up to the Yule Ball challenge. They had asked the headmaster if they could play and he had thought it was a great idea.

After one of the practise sessions James and Sirius let the other two leave as they stayed behind. Sirius, playing some chords on the piano, as James sat down next to him.

"Us playing means that I can't ask Lily out to the ball," James sighed while making a melody line to Sirius' chords.

"Hey, she'll love you at the ball! Let's find a great love song you can sing to her!" Sirius trailed off, and they just played a little while.

"How about George Harrison's Something? Say it's for Evans and sing your heart out!"

Sirius lay down a G major on the piano, and James sang. Sirius switched to G7 and they continued to the end. When they finished James smiled.

"Yeah, I can sing this to her!" He grinned from ear to ear at the thought. He honestly hoped she would like it.

* * *

When James and Sirius walked to lunch a bunch of girls ran over to them.

"Hi, Sirius. I heard you guys are playing at the ball," one of the blond girls asked. She was a Hufflepuff.

"That's right, hmm, you're Michelle, right?" he smiled his typically charming smile at her.

"That's right," she smiled back formerly glowing. "But I was just wondering if you're going to play the whole night or, if, you know... we could dance or anything."

Sirius grinned, "yeah, we'll get a couple of breaks. I'll find you!"

At the same time a very shy brunette came over to James.

"I..I... would you... maybe... dance with me..." she asked while twinning a strand of hair around her finger.

James was a bit surprised. "I... er... No thank you."

"Don't mind him, Peggy!" another one of the girls said, "He's just interested in that Evans girl. Though, everyone in the school knows that it's a hopeless romance!"

James stared angrily after them as they turned and walked away. He didn't agree with what the girls just had said.

"That's Prudence for you," Sirius laughed.

"Prudence?"

"Yeah, I gave her a nickname. Don't actually know what her name is," Sirius laughed. "But she's such a prude anyways, so it fitted her well!"

James joined in the laugh.

"But Jimmy?" Sirius asked. "You just turned down that pretty little girl. You could've made Lily jealous and all."

James nodded. "Yeah, I thought about it, but then I remembered I'd be singing Something to Lily on the ball."

Sirius raised both eyebrows in an approving way. "I'm proud of you, James. I wouldn't have thought of that! And maybe I should sing Michelle to Michelle? It'd be fun, eh?"

* * *

The weeks went past and it was a couple of nights before the ball, which would be held on 20 December, and Sirius couldn't sleep. He didn't know why really. He wasn't actually nervous, rather apprehensive for the playing part. No, there was something else.

Maybe he was just thirsty. Sirius pulled on his trousers, a light blue shirt and his black shoes, and started sneaking out. It was nearly two am as he rounded the last corner in the last hall and found what he was looking for: the kitchen.

James had found it the previous year. He'd actually been sleep-walking while being hungry and in some weird, probably magical way, he found it. Practical!

Sirius tickled the pear and went inside. Most of the house elves were sleeping, but some were up and about cleaning or preparing for the next day.

"You master Sirius Black, sir" one of the house elves said.

"Yeah, hi. Is there any chance for a cup of tea?"

"Of course, Sir" squeaked the little elf and put a kettle on the fire. Sirius sat down in the corner. He liked the kitchen. He hated the one at home, so dark and unfriendly with that grumpy old elf. This was so different!

That was when he got it: The reason why he couldn't sleep. He was going home to face his parents soon, on the 22nd actually. He didn't want to admit it to James and the others but he was afraid.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice suddenly asked.

Sirius jumped, heart pounding real fast.

"Remus, really, you scared me!"

"Does master Lupin want anything?" the house elf was back.

"A cuppa for me to please," Remus smiled friendly.

"Of course, at once sir!" the elf ran off to make a cup for him to. Remus sighed heavily, and dragged a hand through his hair before sitting down next to Sirius.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?" he asked.

Sirius just shook his head. "It's..."

"Your parents?" Remus asked. Sirius nodded. Then he looked at Remus.

"Why are you here anyways?" he asked him.

"Same..." Remus sighed.

Sirius had a puzzled look on his face.

"But your parents are so... nice. Surely you can't mean them..?" Sirius half stated half asked. Remus sighed heavily again.

"I feel like... a burden to them."

"You!" Sirius nearly laughed.

"You're an only child aren't you? I have seen how James' parents adore him, being an only child. And I've always liked your parents. How can you think that of them?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, it's my fault entirely," Remus said.

"Do you feel you are the reason your mother is always ill?" Sirius' eyes were fixed on Remus' face.

"Something like that," Remus trailed off.

They finished their tea in silence. And went back to bed, Remus making sure to thank the house elves for their kindness. Sirius admired him for that, being raised the way he was, he was still a bit at a loss at how to treat house elves.

* * *

The next day they were rehearsing. But James wasn't much into it at all. On the way there he'd run into Evans. They had talked, or rather, James had asked her out in a very intense way.

"_Lily! You've got to go out with me. We're perfect for each other! You're the only girl pretty enough to be my equal!" he had shouted at her._

"_You're so full of yourself Potter! I can't date an egoistic bastard! It's against my nature," Lily had answered. "Besides I said yes to Frank Longbottom. You know, the boy two classes over us," she said and started to walk away._

"_You what?" James was startled._

"_You heard me. Stop trying to ruin my life. I will never date anyone who can treat others so cruelly!" she yelled herself now and walked away quickly. James was certain he saw a tear._

"Earth to James!" Sirius called. "Where's your rhythm guitar. And harmonies? Focus, mate!"

James looked up, anger, sadness and a couldn't-care-less attitude showed in his eyes. "What!" He asked bitterly.

Sirius sighed. "We're practising. Just snap out of it Potter. It's only two days until the ball, and we need to get this song right!"

James looked more and more pissed. "I don't care about these stupid songs!"

Sirius was about to lose it too. "Oh, yeah? That's right. You don't care about anything but yourself isn't that right Potter? You're so full of yourself!"

This was the second time James had to take words like this from a person he loved. Though the love came in different forms it hurt just as much. "Oh yeah! At least I'm not the one that's afraid of my mother!" James yelled at Sirius, who froze.

(Prongs/N: Oh yeah! Our vocabulary is great! We don't even know enough words so we just copy each other...)

Remus and Peter sat as paralysed and watched as Sirius threw himself at James. Wand forgotten. The two boys fell to the ground and started throwing punches at each other. Wrestling and rolling around, fighting for the upper hand.

James, who had always been a bit more athletic than Sirius managed to pinch down Sirius' wrists after several minutes of intense struggling from both parts.

"I'm out of here," James simply stated, got up and left.

"James!" Peter called and ran after him. Remus was left with Sirius on the floor. Sirius had ended up with a bleeding nose.

"You all right Sirius?" Remus asked.

"Physically? Yes. But..." Sirius trailed off. It was becoming a habit of him these days.

"I know. But it'll be all right. James never could be angry for a long time," Remus smiled reassuring.

* * *

"Argh! I hate him, I hate Lily. I hate everyone!" James shouted out in anger and threw a spell at random Slytherin first grader. The first grader got help from one of his friends to go to the hospital wing, his nose growing larger by the minute.

"James, wait!" Peter called. "James! You and Sirius need to just work this out now," Peter said, as he reached James. He put a hand on his shoulder, but James simply moved away from it. James was about to punch him to, but Peter ducked around it.

"I don't want to talk to him! He just doesn't understand! Twat!" James said as he slid down against a wall and ended up sitting on the floor with his head in his hands.

"How about you sing to him what you feel?" Peter suggested helpfully. Peter was truly into the band and had been in a playing mood for some time.

James thought about it for a while. "Yeah. Just like Lennon and McCartney. I can use that one song that..." James jumped to his feet. "Come on, you're playing with me!"

* * *

Sirius and Remus had gone back to the Gryffindor Tower. Sirius was being pissed all the time. The comment about his mother had really hurt. And besides, he was really upset with James for saying that the music didn't matter.

Remus was quiet, just sat next to him and read in his book and thinking about what they would do if they didn't get Sirius and James to get along before the Yule ball.

When it was time for dinner they both walked quietly down the stairs, but as they had nearly reached the great hall they saw James and Peter fully rigged with their instruments.

"So Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise  
You better see right through that mother's eyes  
Those freaks was right when they said you was dead  
The one mistake you made was in your head  
Ah, how do you sleep?  
Ah, how do you sleep at night?

You live with straights who tell you you was king  
Jump when your momma tell you anything  
The only thing you done was yesterday  
And since you're gone you're just another day

Ah, how do you sleep?  
Ah, how do you sleep at night?

A pretty face may last a year or two  
But pretty soon they'll see what you can do  
The sound you make is muzak to my ears  
You must have learned something in all those years  
Ah, how do you sleep?  
Ah, how do you sleep at night?"

James finished his song. Sirius recognized it. It was John Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?" which had originally been a song attacking Paul McCartney in a very cruel way. He had to admit the lyrics fitted a fight. But it was still cruel!

Sirius had frozen dead still while James and Peter were playing. Now he woke from the trance. "What the hell Potter?" he asked.

James shrugged, "I think the song say it all". He left and walked into the Great Hall for dinner.

Sirius went back up stairs closely followed by Remus. "That twat!" Sirius said over and over. "The stupid git!" Sirius kicked a statue. "What's wrong with him?" he asked and stopped.

Sirius thought for a second. Yes, he was angry at James, but he didn't want it to get this far. He'd expect them to be friends pretty quickly. Especially since the ball was closing in on them.

"I'll have to set this right..." Sirius sighed, feeling both angry and sad.

* * *

When James came back to the tower that evening he was met by Sirius and Remus playing a song of their own. James recognised it at once: Paul McCartney's "Some People Never Know".

"Some people can sleep at nightime,  
believing that love is a lie.  
I'm only a person like you, love,  
and who in the world can be right  
all the right time.  
I know I was wrong, make me right, right"

Sirius finished up the song, and just left. Walked past James and disappeared. James didn't know what to do.

Was Sirius apologising?

Was it James that overreacted to the whole thing?

What should he do?

He didn't know. But Peter did. "I think we should play another song, James," Peter told him. James agreed. This had turned into a song fight and he didn't mind this way of fighting. The rest of the school didn't mind either; they got a taste of what they could expect at the Yule ball.

James knew just which one he meant and the next half an hour he practised it until he could do it perfectly. He then set out to find Sirius, which turned out to be the hardest part.

At midnight James returned to their dorms. There was still no sign of Sirius and Remus wouldn't say anything except: "He thinks you need some time without him to think." Bloody unhelpful! James thought as he drifted into a restless sleep.

* * *

Sirius did however show up for breakfast the next day. He sat down next to some of the girls in their class and ate in silence. Just when he'd poured his tea, James turned up.

James Potter had decided that playing for the whole great hall would be a wonderful idea. Peter had refused, being way too nervous. So there James was, playing alone.

"The years have passed so quickly  
One thing I've understood  
I am only learning  
To tell the trees from wood

I know what's coming down  
And I know where it's coming from  
And I know and I'm sorry (yes I am)  
But I never could speak my mind

And I know just how you feel  
And I know now what I have done  
And I know and I'm guilty  
But I never could speak my mind

I know what I was missing  
But now my eyes can see  
I put myself in your place  
As you did for me

Today I love you more than yesterday  
Right now I love you more right now

Now I know what's coming down  
I can feel where it's coming from  
And I know it's getting better all the time  
As we share in each other's minds"

James finished off the song, which most of the students knew to be John Lennon's "I Know (I Know)". The whole school were holding their breath. What would happen now?

Sirius stood up, walked over to James and... smiled.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Yeah, me too!" James replied. And they shook each other's hands formally as to properly end the feud.

* * *

They went back to the room of requirement. Back to their music sanctuary. And ended up playing all night. In the end they all fell asleep, well nearly all. Remus slept on a sofa, Peter in a chair, James lay on a pile of pillows under the grand piano, and Sirius slept on top of the piano lid.

James lay with his eyes open, listening to the breath of the others. Easily recognising the different breathing-sounds they all made.

He was happy him and Sirius was friends again. He knew he'd been a git, but Sirius hadn't exactly been a gentleman either. He thought about how they'd found this place in the first place. The room of requirement that is.

And drifted off into sleep.

**Prongs: Well, here I have to write a random flashback as I was asked to write by my fellow writer, Mr. Padfoot. **

**Padfoot: I thought it'd be horrible if I wrote the Whole chapter!**

Flashback, as seen in James' dream

It was long into the night and the boys had been walking around in the castle for many hours. They were now in a part of the castle they had never been to before. They had stopped in front of a wall carpet when James suddenly began to walk back and forth in front of it, admiring it as if it was a piece of art in a museum or art exhibition.

The others had no choice but to follow, since the four of them were all together under James' invisibility cloak.

They had stepped on each other's toes, almost lost the cloak a couple of times and made more noise than they wanted to. Then James stopped. He hushed at the others and pointed in front of them. They were now standing directly opposite a door which hadn't been there just a few moments before.

Being as adventurous they were they thought about which one of them should open the door. Sirius capturing the longest straw by standing close to the door put his hand on the handle before the others and opened it.

What they saw inside was something they had never imagined they would be able to see in their lifetime. The walls were covered in the finest art they had ever seen. There was a couch and a fireplace there along with some books who looked very interesting.

In one of the corners there was also a bed. They hung around in the room for a few hours before they decided it was time to go back till bed and get some sleep before the next day and the school week started all over again.

End of flashback...

**Prongs: See, I didn't write much now! This is actually quite short for me to be the one writing, but you told me I wrote too much last time...**

**Padfoot: Well. You didn't write too much, it was just that i felt bad for never writing, and you writing like 7000 words or what not!**

**Prongs: Well. This is it folks! A new chapter up!**

**Padfoot: We probably won't take too long with the next either:) But until then just check out the fantastic music by the Beatles and also the solo music by all of them! At least you've now got some titles to search for.**

**Prongs: The Yule Ball is coming up next! And maybe the Christmas break. Ironic isn't it? I mean: we've just got our Summer vacation!**

**Padfoot: That's true. Well. Reviews are love as always!**

**Thank you!**

**Messers Padfoot and Prongs**

**ps. Padfoot: Before anyone asks or comments on it. I am a general Beatles nerd, but I have Not checked what year the Paul and John solo songs were written. It can very well be after the year this story is supposed to be, but I don't know. And I think it works anyways, so I won't change it. Sorry fellow Beatle-maniacs!**


	12. The Yule Ball

**Chapter twelve – The Yule Ball**

Their day had arrived. The day they were going to be stars!

James sat on his bed, arms and legs around his guitar as if he was protecting it. This was the first time he had felt this nervous. Never before in his life had he been that nervous!

If he had had the habit of biting his nails, he probably would have done that also, but he didn't. So he sat there with his new, already quite used guitar and shaking like a leaf. If they had been a few years older, Sirius who sat on his bed watching James and trying to talk some sense into the boy, would have transformed James into a leaf just to see how much it would shake.

**Padfoot: Great idea mate! Remember to remind me when we get older!**

**Prongs: I won't be nervous then!**

**Padfoot: We'll see about that**

But at the moment Sirius had other and more important things to do. He had to get his fellow Gryffindor out of the bed, on his feet and down to the Great Hall so they could start their warm up. Sirius had sent Remus and Peter downstairs already so they would get some time to practise the songs for a bit longer, which had been an hour ago.

"If you don't get downstairs with me right now, I'm going to take Lily for a dance tonight and not letting anyone else get near her!" Sirius said with a serious voice. Finally James started to move.

"I'm not letting anyone get near my Lily tonight. I've even prepared a song for her!" James got up from the bed and started to walk to the stairs leading down to the common room.

"You coming, Sirius?"

Both boys ran down to the Great Hall with their instruments, carefully so they wouldn't break them. "Peter! Remus! Sorry we're late!" James jumped up on the stage, closely followed by Sirius. The boys started to do their warm up, at least Sirius and James. The others had had their warm up a long time ago.

Before the other students started to come inside the Hall, they had gone through some of the songs they weren't feeling completely at ease with and got friendly with them.

**Padfoot: It really helps when you know the songs better you know!**

**Prongs: Yeah, being on a first name basis and all that**

"Wow, that's a lot of student..." Peter said. They boys were looking as the students arrived. "I never noticed there were so many of them!" The other boys couldn't agree more. On normal day's people came and ate when they felt like it, and it was a rare sight to see all of the students in the Great Hall at the same time. The only times all of them would be there was the great feast they had a few times a year.

**Prongs: And then you don't have an overview from a stage!**

"Yeah, lots of them." Sirius agreed. "But we won't let them take us down! We've got some women out there to impress!"

They felt their grins wide as the headmaster introduced them to the rest of the school, thought, there weren't a sole in the crowd who hadn't heard about the boys. They were well known for their pranks.

They walked out of the room they had been hiding in. (Prongs/N: You know, the one behind where the teachers usually are seated...)

James was still a bit nervous, but he thought of Lily and managed to gather all the courage he could. Remus and Peter were also pale, but Sirius just took a deep breath, and muttered to himself: "We're going to the top of the poppermost" and entered the stage.

"Hello," Sirius said in the mike as the other guys settled down on the stage. "We're The Marauders".

They played their first song. They'd decided for Love Me Do. A great, easy, commercial song that everyone knew (Unless they'd been raised by a 90 year old woman out in a forest or on a mountain somewhere).

James played the harmonica and the two of them also sang.

At first the crowd was checking them out. "Are they any good at all?" most of them thought to themselves. And most of the girls thought: "God, they're very pretty". But as the song got to the end there was no doubt in any one in the audience that the boys knew what they were doing.

"We're The Marauders!" James said in his magical microphone. His blood rushing with happy adrenaline and he was so happy they all seemed to like what they had just played.

"On bass and vocals, Sirius Black!" the crowd cheered.

"On lead guitar Remus Lupin!" Remus bowed and gave a weak smile that made all the girls scream louder.

"Our drummer is Peter Pettigrew!" Peter got up and bowed. More cheering.

"And I'm James Potter!" James yelled.

The boys threw themselves out in songs like I Want to Hold Your Hand, All You Need is Love, Eight Days a Week, Day Tripper, Can't Buy Me Love, and You've Got To Hide Your Love Away.

Then James spoke into the microphone. "And now I'd like to sing a song by George Harrison called Something." James looked out over the crowd and found Lily Evans. She was dressed in a green dress, so her eyes looked more dazzling than usual.

"This song is for Lily Evans," James said and began playing.

James kept his eyes on Lily trough out the whole song. At first she looked stunned, but as they played her cheeks burned up and she looked more and more angry. James couldn't understand why. Here he was, in the front of the whole school, playing a song only for her.

Before they even ended the song she walked out of the room. Not even bothering to end the song James gave his guitar to Sirius telling his friend he would be right back.

Sirius was frozen in a couple of seconds. Luckily Peter and Remus had managed to finish the song. Remus had just played an excellent guitar solo, but a lot of people had probably missed that one on account of James rushing out of the room.

Sirius put down James' guitar. "Next song is You're Gonna Lose That Girl!" he said and they started playing it. The rhythm guitar was missing and they only had two singers, but Sirius thought it was the most appropriate one to sing.

"If you don't take her out tonight, you're gonna find her gone" Sirius sang with all his heart.

* * *

"Evans! Why are you running!" James screamed after the girl of his life as she ran up the stairs leading away from the Great Hall. Acting as if she didn't hear him she ran not bothering to answer his question.

James being the boy and the one doing sports helped him reaching her before she was able to climb the stairs to the girls' dorm. Making sure she wouldn't get up before he was finished James took her arm and led her to the corner furthers away from the stairs.

"Why were you running, Evans?" James asked.

Taking her time to catch her breath Lily just looked at James with angry eyes. His eyes were full of confusion and showing slightly his anger.

"Because I never asked you to sing a song for me..."

"I did it because I wanted," James interrupted.

"... and I never asked you to do it in front of the whole school!"

"I wanted to make the night special for you, Evans."

"I never asked you to make the night special for me, Potter!"

"Who said you needed to ask?"

"Who said you could just do what you wanted?" Lily countered.

"The headmaster, Evans. He never told us we couldn't sing our songs for someone special!"

"But I never said you could, Potter. Now the whole school will talk about this tomorrow and it's your entire fault!" Lily then pushed James and ran up to the girl dorm before he was able to move a centimetre.

James walked sulkily down the stairs again. He moved through the student mass in the Great Hall (which divided in two for him) and jumped up on the stage again.

* * *

Sirius had taken the opportunity to sing Michelle to the girl he was dating that evening, though he wouldn't get to see her too much since they were playing anyways.

But the mood shifted again when James had entered the room.

"So?" Sirius asked. Saying out loud what everyone in the room wanted to hear. James only shook his head, took his guitar and sang: "Day after day. Alone on a hill". Sirius hurried to pick up his flute, while the other two got into the chords and beat of the song.

Sirius sent James some sad, questioning looks with his dog-like eyes that clearly asked: "You all right, mate?", but James ignored him. Rock n' roll was there to drown his sorrows for him!

James took the lead fully now and the sang songs like Mr. Postman, Twist and Shout (where James got totally hoarse from singing) and Sirius got to sing Yesterday while James drank something to fix his throat.

After a while they (with some help from the audience) managed for persuade both Remus and Peter to sing a song each. Remus sang Here Comes the Sun, while Peter sang Octopuses Garden. And James and Sirius sang the rest.

Their last song was This Boy., where James voice cracked. Both from his emotional state, but mostly because he'd screamed his head off the whole night.

"That's all from us folks. Maybe we can force some of the teachers to sing a song or two?" Sirius grinned, and waved good bye. The four boys got off the stage with mixed emotions playing over their faces.

* * *

"James!"

'Dammit!' Sirius thought. James had run away after the concert. James could be anywhere! 'I could need a bloody map to where he is right now!' Sirius though in frustration as he headed outside to look.

It was bloody darn freezing.

Sirius showed his hands deep down his pockets. No James. He should head back inside, but instead he ended up just standing and looking at the moon. It was several days until it was full, but it was a beautiful sight anyway.

It was only tomorrow left at Hogwarts, well today really as the time had passed midnight, and then he had to see his family. He kicked his foot into the snow.

"Well, best not think of it. Got to find James anyways," he muttered to himself and went back inside.

* * *

James was your typical boy. He was proud to be relatively strong and fast and really good at Quidditch. He was also proud that it had been ages since he'd cried last time. But now he found himself angrily trying to wipe those bloody tears away from his eyes.

He had decided to run off somewhere Sirius wouldn't think of. So he'd hidden in the corridor outside the library. If there's something worse than having your heart broken, the girl you loved hate you and crying, it must be when you best friend find you crying.

Sirius hadn't found him yet at least.

James, was leaning against the wall and let himself cry. Merlin knows he needed it! Lily just didn't see. She couldn't understand the depth of his feelings. James kicked the wall hard. So hard it hurt.

He took a deep breath and dried his tears, and started to climb his way up to the Gryffindor tower. At least it was soon Christmas. He'd see his parents again. Merlin, he missed his mother's good advices!

* * *

"You all right?" Sirius asked again for the 100th time it seemed when they ate breakfast the next day.

"Yes, Sirius! Stop asking already!" James answered more aggressive than he felt.

Sirius just poured himself some more tea. "All right, sorry. I'm just worried you know."

James met his eyes. "Are you all right yourself?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius frowned.

"You had another nightmare," James simply stated. Sirius sent him a sad smile. "It's gonna be all right," he just said and finished his toast.

They had both lied. And they both knew it, but didn't want to stretch it further. Instead they used their last day to rider their brooms. They tried to dive as fast as possible towards the ground and wait for as long as possible before they changed the course so they wouldn't hit the ground.

Well, since they were both so stubborn none of them changed course and both of them ended up crashing into the snowy ground most of the time. But time went by too quickly and the day and the train ride went by too quickly for Sirius liking!

* * *

When James walked through the doors of his childhood home, he couldn't help it. All of the past memories filled him and he realised just how much he had missed his parents and this house. The familiar smells of his house, his parents and his favourite meal made him happy. His mother had been standing in the kitchen most of the day he understood. The meal wasn't one of those who just took a few minutes to get ready. No, it had to be made for hours. That was one of the things James loved about it, knowing that this meal didn't contain any stress, just pure love from his mother.

While eating the thought of Sirius and his probably horrible holiday vanished from his mind. He tasted every bit of the meal and when he finished he thanked his mother for making it to him. "I love you mom, thank you!" After a hug he walked upstairs to his room. There he began to think about what might happen at his friend's house.

It was almost time for the annual Christmas dinner at Grimmaulds place 12. Sirius hated it. His family didn't even believe in Christmas, so they didn't practise many of the traditions. But, they did have a dinner and even some gifts.

Sirius knew that the Blacks only gave each other gifts because they needed to show off their wealth. "We don't believe in Jesus or Santa Claus and we hate muggles, but we've got enough money to give our kids lots of expensive presents too," that kind of stuff.

Sirius didn't believe in God or Jesus or Santa either. But he liked the proper Muggle way of celebrating. With the stockings on the fireplace, the Christmas tree and everything! That's how they did at Hogwarts even.

He liked that the Wizards had taken a muggle tradition and adapted into it. It brought the two societies closer. Well, except for people like the Blacks.

"Sirius! SIRIUS!" his mother, he refused to call her "mum", was yelling very impationately.

"What!" he called back.

"Get changed and get down here you ungrateful mudblood lover! They'll be here any minute!"

Sirius sighed, but did as he was told, for once. His mother did like to flick her wand around, aiming it with evil curses with everyone who was so stupid as to go against her will.

When reached the top of the stairs, the Malfoys, Blacks and Lestranges were walking into the hall, and greeted his parents and brother.

"Ah, Cygnus how are you dear brother!" his mother called out and kissed her brothers cheek. "And Druella." Druella who's maiden name was Rosier smiled her evil grin. "Waldurga," she said in a strained happy tone.

"Ah, there you are Sirius," his mother said in a nearly civil tone as she looked up. "Come down here and great all your lovely relatives," she smiled. Sirius interpreted it as: get your arse down here or I'll kill you.

He decided to walk down. "You're getting tall," Mr Malfoy stated. "But we've yet to see if you'll be as tall as your father. I rather doubt it." Oh, that evil grin. "We'll see," Sirius just replied.

"Siri, how are you!" Bellatrix Black gave him a hug. (Prongs/N: I have no idea why Pads put a girl name for his own here...)

"I thought I said not to call me that!" he muttered angrily in her ear. "I know," she smiled back, and roughed his hair. "I hear you're doing all sorts of stupid things at school cousin," she said so everybody heard.

"But what to expect with you being in Gryffindor and all that?" she said viciously.

Sirius' mother got angry and embarrassed at once, but tried to hide it. "Why don't we just move on into the living room and have a drink before dinner is served."

They all followed, while Sirius lingered.

Just then the door opened, and Alphard Black nearly fell on the doorstep. "A bad landing," he muttered. "I should probably apparate more often. Some more practise wouldn't harm."

"Alphard, brother. I didn't think you'd come," Sirius' mother said in a harsh tone and didn't hug her brother. "Erm, well. I figured you'd all miss my company, so I showed up," Alphard snapped back and hang his coat up.

"Hey Sirius!" he said. Sirius, for the first time smiled. "Hey, Uncle Alph," he said.

"Madam, the dinner is ready," Kreacher said discreetly to his mistress, and they all walked into the dining room taking their seats.

Sirius making sure to end up next to uncle Alph. His Uncle leaned in and whispered, "I've got a present for you, kid." Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad evening after all? Sirius wondered.

They finished eating and Orion Black, Sirius' father spoke out. "I believe it's time for the women and children to move to the drawing room" he said. All the women rose, as did Sirius and Regulus as well. "No, Sirius. You stay for a while," his father said.

Sirius was utterly confused. This was when the men would drink whiskey and talk about politics right? While the women takes their conversation and drinks in the withdrawing room? He wasn't supposed to listen to this was he?

"Sirius," Orion said seriously as Sirius sat back down by the table. "We've tried to understand, but again and again you disappoint us! Several letters from you teachers we've already received this year. And worst of all is probably your friendship with that Potter kid."

Mr Black took a short break. Sirius was getting into defence mode.

"We've discussed several options for you. Sending you to Durmstrang, sending letters to Dumbledore asking you to be moved into a proper Slytherine class, or take you out of school to teach you ourselves."

Sirius' eyebrows frowned, but he didn't say anything.

"But we've decided to give you one more chance to make up for yourself," his father said. "You will stay away from that Potter kid! Am I making myself clear boy?"

Sirius snorted. "Crystal clear, sir. But I won't promise you anything. The Potters are pure-blood anyways, so what's the problem?"

His father chose to ignore him and just went on:"You remember my sister, Lucretia I'm sure?" he asked, and Sirius only nodded weakly.

How could he forget her? The woman that always insisted on buying him clothes for Christmas. Really expensive clothes that made anyone who saw them think of rich, spoiled pure-blooded brats. No thank you!

Lucretia Prewett was the one person in the family who had specialised on hating half-breeds and magical creatures. Like centaurs, Werewolfs and Vampires.

"Lucretia and Ignatus has a daughter around your age. Her name is Melania. Named after my late mother. And Ignatus and I have agreed that you two should be engaged." Orion's eyes were fixed on Sirius who now rose from his seat.

"You can't be serious!" Sirius' voice broke. "I'm only thirteen years old!" Sirius cried out in panic.

Alphard stood up too. "Orion, you can't be serious? I mean he's still a kid. You can't decide upon that already. That's too medieval even for you," Alph said his eyes locked on Orion.

"Alphard," Orion said calmly and firmly to his brother-in-law. "Sit back down again." Alphard didn't really have any choice so he did as he was told.

"I... you... seriously..." Sirius didn't manage to say anything. He just stared at his father. "I hate you!" he said and ran out the door.

* * *

In a house far, far away James was sitting with his parents in the living room. They were watching the muggle TV and enjoying themselves with what they saw. It was only James and his parents there, but still you could feel the Christmas feeling on your body. The house was full of decorations; his parents loved filling the house with them. The Christmas tree was in the living room together with them, giving the room a tiny smell of forest.

Under the tree there were a lot of presents they. When James was younger his parents had put them there after he had gone to sleep on Christmas Eve following the traditions the muggles had. Now as he was older they had stopped doing so, and just laid the packages there whenever they arrived.

The show ended and his parents told him to go to sleep. James walked up to his room as he had been told, but he didn't go to sleep at once. While watching the muggle TV show he had gotten worried about Sirius and intended to send his friend and owl, just to check if everything was alright. Quietly he started to write, but he hadn't written more than a few words before he saw a familiar owl in front of his bedroom window. He opened it and let the owl inside.

"Hey," he whispered, "What brings you here at this time of the day?" He untied the letter, gave the owl some food and water before it left. James then turned his attention to the letter. What Sirius wrote to him wasn't good news, it wasn't hard to understand. Sirius wrote to him what had happened at his house that night; James couldn't feel sorrier for his friend. Without bothering to keep quiet any longer he wrote a letter to Sirius.

_Sirius,_

_Keep your head up mate, I know it's going to be hard for you, but know that I am fully supporting you even though I'm not there together with you. I know it's hard to think of good things when you're at your parents' house, but I suppose you could try to come up with some ideas for a prank or five to let your relatives feel as bad as I believe you are feeling now. _

_Just an hour ago my parents and I were watching the muggle TV, and we saw a rather funny show there. It was called "Dinner for One" and the countess there was having a birthday party. She was so old though that it was only the butler there and she. The table was set for a number of people thought. The butler gave all the glasses a drink and pretended to be the persons as he made his way around the table after putting the bottle away. Obviously he got more and more drunk, and every time he was on his way to where the bottles were places he banged his foot into the head of a tiger or something which was used as a carped. _

_I am really looking forward to tomorrow and all the presents. And I hope you like the one I came up with for you. It took me a long time to figure out what I was going to give you, but I think it will fit you._

_I have to go to bed now, sorry. My mom is standing in the doorway and telling me to go to bed._

_PS: I hope Lily don't throw away my gift for her._

_Pps. I'm invited in the wedding right?_

_James_

_

* * *

_

The next day Sirius wrote a new letter. Very early. Even though Sirius hated waking up early. He resolved it by going back to bed again.

_Hi, James_

_There won't be a wedding, so don't expect an invitation! I'm supposed to meet the girl later today. Melania Prewett is her name. Supposedly one of my cousins that I never met or something. You remember her from school? I know I don't._

_Anyways, if things goes wrong I might have to come over. Does your Mum and Dad mind?_

_I'm in deep water here!_

_Sirius_

"Sirius?" someone said followed by a mild knock on the door. Regulus entered. "Mum said to tell you that the Prewetts'll be here by afternoon tea. You should get up soon," he said. Sirius sat up, "tell those bastards I don't want to meet her!" he yelled.

"Have you even given it a small thought that she might be really pretty? And very nice? Not all Slytherins are that bad Sirius. Not everyone from the Black family is either," Regulus said quietly and sat down by Sirius' desk, where he noticed the newly used quill and ink bottle. Sirius had spilled a lot of ink around on his desk.

"Are you just going to run away? Just like that? You run away from all your problems instead of facing them, you know?" Regulus said watching his brothers moves carefully. "Pretending to be all cool, standing up to our parents, but when it matters you just run away and hide like a scared rabbit!"

Sirius threw a pillow at him. "And what about you? You don't even complain one bit. You just let them do what they want." Regulus just got up and opened the door. "You really should get up you know," he said and left Sirius alone.

A few hours later the living room was filled up with Blacks and Prewetts as far as the eye could see. Well, one Black was missing obviously. Sirius. He had simply chosen not to go down, and was instead playing on his violin. Not for long though. Waldurga had excused herself from the party downstairs and found Sirius in his room.

After a short argument, Sirius was pushed into some of the clothes that Lucretia had given him for Christmas that year and was dragged downstairs.

"Ah, Sirius. There you are!" his Uncle greeted him and shook his hand. Probably trying to ignore that the whole situation was quite awkward. "We can serve the tea now I believe, Waldurga," he said to Sirius mother and sat down.

"This is my daughter Melania," he said to Sirius.

The two kids looked at each other. Eyeing each other up and down. Sirius thought that the girl looked much like him to be honest. Both of them had the characteristic Black traits, black hair, dark eyes and all that. She was quite pretty. Maybe a year or two older than Sirius. A few inches taller than him too, possibly.

"Please take a seat," Sirius said politely and gestured to the table they were standing beside. He took out her chair for her and helped her with it as she sat down. It took his every effort to be this nice to the girl, but he knew he had to make a good performance in front of his relatives, if not his parents would make the rest of the holiday a living hell for him.

The kids hadn't presented themselves to each other, but they didn't need to as their parents had already told them the others names a few times. "So, what do you like to do in your spare time?" Sirius asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Oh, do you mean in school or in the holidays?" She asked him back. She didn't seem to care that it was a bit rude to ask a question to a question, but it had to do with what he had asked so he let it go. Sirius didn't like anyone questioning his questions.

"I meant both actually. You may start with holidays, since we've got one upon us," Sirius answered. As he sat in the opposite seat of the girl he tried to look at her, even tried to smile, but in truth he had no desire to look at this girl. He wanted to go back upstairs and play his violin.

The girl sat there for a long time just looking at him, not seeming to have heard his reply. But when Sirius was about to speak again she answered. "I like to go shopping, see the newest fashion and buying it. I was the one to pick out your outfit, actually."

Sirius didn't know how to make a comment to that statement. He knew all too well that it wasn't something nice he would answer it with, so he just continued asking her the next question. "Then, what about school?"

Sirius didn't know how long he had been sitting at that table, almost interrogating the girl. She had made no move to ask him questions. The eldest son of the Blacks began to wonder how much the girl already knew about him. Sure he knew the grownups had been talking a lot about them to each other, he also knew that his parents probably had made the truth seem more beautiful than it really was, their guest wouldn't have been there if they hadn't. But what had they been telling this girl? By the way she was smiling and looking at him, he knew he wouldn't like to hear it.

"Sirius, dear, it's time for dinner. Please escort young Miss Prewett into the dining room." His mother told him. He honestly couldn't remember the last time his mother had called him:"dear", but the word didn't come as a big surprise for him. His parents were after all trying to seem as perfect they could be in front of their guest.

"In a moment, mother." Sirius stood up and helped the older girl into the dining room.

Sirius laid his knife and fork down. He had used longer time on the meal than he usually would. He didn't want to be a part of the conversation which had been started as the diners had cleaned their plates.

Eating slowly Sirius made sure no one would start to ask him questions he didn't want to hear. But the meal was only so large and soon he found himself in a position where questions could be asked him. And sure enough, he hadn't been more than a couple of minutes before the guest noticed that his plate was empty.

"Boy," Mr Prewett directed towards Sirius, "I hear you know how to play a number of instruments. If I don't remember wrong it was the flute and the piano?"

"Yes, Mr. I do play the flute and the piano, but I also know how to play the saxophone, violin and harp." Sirius answered. He left out the bass and the guitar; the guest didn't need to know how many he actually played. His father looked at him with one of his looks but didn't say anything, they both new it was wise not to brag about too much. "Do you want me to play some violin for you sir?"

Mr Prewett looked at his wife and daughter. "That would be lovely, wouldn't it my dears?" he asked them.

"Daddy," Melania said, "you know I don't like the violin. Make him play the piano instead."

"You heard the girl," Mr Black said to his son. With his head bent Sirius walked over to the piano. He truly had wanted to play the violin. He knew the perfect song for a situation like this. Some really sorrowful sonata .

But he had to play the piano instead. Typical. He decided upon Schuberts Impromptu opus 90 number 4. It was a piece with lots of fast, happy notes in the start and a beautiful middle part. He played the fast notes without the happiness and lightness they required and the middle part had no feelings at all. He evened missed some keys and sauced it with his pedal in the repetition at the end. It was terrible.

The Prewetts thanked him for his performance but his father asked to follow him out in the hall. "What was that, Sirius? We both know that you play better than that!" Mr Black was angry, Sirius had sensed his father anger starting to race just after he started to play, so it didn't surprise him the slightest.

"I'm sorry dad; I think I just didn't have the perfect piano day today, that's why I asked if I could play the violin." This didn't seem to do anything to calm his fathers' anger.

"Go into the dining room and apologise to our guest, now." His father ordered. But Sirius wasn't in the mood to take orders from his parents any longer.

"No dad, I have nothing to apologise for." He said determined. They started to fight about what Sirius was to do. Even his mother came into the hall to them and asked them to keep quiet, they shouldn't disturb their guest, she said.

"Go into the room and apologise now, Sirius!" Mr Black said in a tone which meant that the final word was said.

"No." Sirius said and ran to his room where he found his broom. He then ran to the front door. Sirius didn't look back to see the faces of his parents before he slammed the door behind him.

* * *

Sirius arrived at James' doorstep after a long broom ride. It had been snowing all the time. And Sirius was freezing. James opened himself and nearly laughed when he saw Sirius. "You look dashing my dear," he said as he took in Sirius' outfit. "Oh, shut it!" Sirius bit back as he brushed off some of the snow and entered the house.

**We hope you like it! And we'll see you soon. Please review:)**


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